Is around a compound word

Rules, Frequent Errors, and Why They Matter

Here’s the thing about the English language, in general, that’s not just specific to compound words: It’s full of pitfalls — simple errors that can alienate readers, turn off subscribers, and annoy buyers.

That’s why Copyblogger has historically put a heavy emphasis on avoiding incorrect spelling and usage, such as these 11 common grammar mistakes.

And when you’ve been doing this as long as we have, you’re going to discover even more common errors. The most recent for me, though, has been a host of compounds.

“What is a compound word?” you ask … let me show you what I mean.

What is a compound word?

A compound word is simply a word that is formed from two or more other words. Typically, the new combination of words creates a new or broader meaning.

Compound words often produce writing mistakes because it’s easy to forget if they’re spelled as one word or two words. If they aren’t double-checked (see what I did there?) by an editor, they can lead to glaring errors.

Types of compound words

There are three main types to keep in mind: open compound words, closed compound words, and hyphenated compound words.

If we take a look at each one, you’ll not only be better positioned to spot a compound word in the future, you’ll also cut down on spelling mistakes.

Open compound words

I think the open variety are the most tricky to spot. A key characteristic of this type is that they’re two separate words frequently used together.

Since they’re two separate words, it can be confusing to identify them. However, you know they’re compound words because they need to be written in a specific order to achieve a specific meaning.

Examples:

• Relationship building
• Coffee table
• Yoga mat

Each separate word is a noun, but the combination creates more descriptive language.

Closed compound words

Now that we’ve covered open compounds, closed compound words should be pretty straightforward.

They combine two nouns into a single word to create a compound word with a different definition.

Examples:

• Eyeglasses
• Frontrunner
• Handwriting

Notice how each word is a standard word that can be broken down into two separate words. A compound word isn’t a blend of two words, such as a portmanteau.

Hyphenated compound words

Hyphenated compound words can be easily confused with open ones. Sometimes, a writer will hyphenate words when they should be separated with a space, or vice versa.

Examples:

• Editor-in-Chief
• Long-form
• Part-time

Seasoned writers know that whenever they hyphenate a word, they should look up the meaning and spelling to verify that their choice to hyphenate is accurate. Especially because some hyphenated compounds are hyphenated when used as an adjective but not hyphenated if they’re placed after nouns.

Examples:

• Sue is a part-time writer.
• Sue works part time.

Still not convinced you should double-check? Keep reading …

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Compound word errors that might make you look like a numbskull

If you’re ready to break the bad habit of letting compound word mistakes run rampant in your writing, review these common slip ups that can trip up your reader.

It doesn’t take much extra time to make sure your content isn’t tarnished with careless errors.

Never mind vs. nevermind

Let’s blame Kurt Cobain, because ever since the poster child for Generation X’s winter of discontent christened Nirvana’s world-altering album Nevermind, I’ve always spelled “never mind” as a compound word.

But, as Cobain knew, that’s grammatically incorrect — to a degree. See, the compound word nevermind is actually an old-fashioned way of saying “notice” or “pay attention,” but used in a negative style:

You’ll do well to pay Cobain no nevermind.

You’ll never need to use “no nevermind” in a sentence, since “pay attention” or “notice” will work better. But do use the two-word variation when you mean “please ignore.”

Never mind what I just said.

A lot vs. alot

This one’s pretty easy.

“A lot” is an idiom, and means “very much.”

Brian rocks out a lot when he listens to Nevermind.

“Alot,” on the other hand, isn’t a word, so you shouldn’t use it. Ever. People will laugh at you.

By the way, don’t confuse “a lot” with “allot,” which means to distribute or give out.

I will allot four donuts to each of you. That’s a lot of donuts.

All together vs. altogether

One means “as a group,” while the other means “completely” or “entirely.”

He stacked the records all together, and the collection amounted altogether to four hundred.

Every day vs.

The single word can be used as a noun or adjective. It expresses the routine, the commonplace.

The two word phrase, however, expresses duration or time.

He listens to Nevermind every day on his everyday record player.

All right vs. alright

This one is a little tricky because they both mean the same thing: okay, very well, satisfactory, certainty, or safe.

I’m all right if you’re alright.

However, the single word is informal, which is why you’ll get the red squiggly lines in WordPress or Microsoft Word if you try to use it. The preferred use is two words, all right? Better yet, to avoid reader confusion, be specific:

Are you safe? Is that paper satisfactory?

Anytime vs. any time

Here’s another one that’s quite subtle.

We’re talking about the difference between “at any time” (whenever) and just “any time.”

If you’re going for the meaning “at any time,” use the adverb anytime. If you only mean to use the words “any time,” keep the words separate.

The most common mistake here is writing “at anytime,” since the meaning of the adverb already includes “at.” The correct version is “at any time.“

A while vs. awhile

Since we’ve covered the difference between anytime and any time, it’s easier to understand the difference between a while and awhile.

Here, awhile is our adverb, which means “for a while.” For example, you’d write “sit down and stay awhile” to communicate “sit down and stay for a while.”

Can you spot the common mistake? It’s when a writer uses “stay for awhile,” instead of “stay for a while,” because the meaning of the adverb awhile already includes “for.”

Sometime vs. some time

Sometime is another adverb. It’s used to communicate an unknown amount of time or unspecified time in the future. The two words “some time” (an adjective and a noun) communicate a period of time, usually a long one.

It’s the difference between “let’s get together sometime” and “it’s been some time since the old friends have spoken.”

Age-old compound words: your questions answered

Wondering if a certain word is compound?

Check out these common questions and use the skills you’ve learned so far to dissect them — then see if you’ve guessed the correct answer!

Is because a compound word?

“Because” is indeed a compound word because it can be broken down into two separate words — “be” and “cause.” If you can spot two separate words within a single word, it’s likely a compound word. “Because” is one of the closed compound words mentioned above.

Is around a compound word?

“Around” doesn’t look compound at first glance, but if we dig a little deeper, you’ll see it’s made up of the words “a” and “round.” Since the word is formed from two existing words to create a new meaning, it’s a compound word.

Is together a compound word?

“Together” is technically a compound word because it’s made up of three existing words — “to,” “get,” and “her. ” However, this closed compound word is different from others that derive their meaning from the words that are combined, such as “breakfast” or “birthday.”

Is before a compound word?

“Before” is a compound word because, like the word “because,” it’s made up of the two words “be” and “fore.” “Fore” might not be a commonly used word today, but it is a word that means “placed in front.” So, it’s a closed compound word.

Is strawberry a compound word?

“Strawberry” is a compound word that consists of the two words “straw” and “berry.” It’s a good example of how two nouns can form a compound word. “Straw” isn’t an adjective that describes the berry itself. However, “blueberry” and “blackberry” are both compound words.

Is butterfly a compound word?

The last of our frequently asked questions is a beautiful one to picture. Yes, “butterfly” is a compound word made up of the words “butter” and “fly.” It’s a closed compound word because in order to achieve the proper meaning of the noun, the two words function together without a space.

Compound v. verb phrases

Now let me introduce you to a special set that changes in meaning and shape when they are used as a verb, adjective, or noun … and can cause all kinds of problems.

The verb form usually consists in two words:

• I need to back up my WordPress site.
• Did you set up the camera?
• You need to make up the exam before October.
• We are trying to work out our differences.
• Stop by the office and pick up your money.
• I couldn’t wake him up on time because I couldn’t wake up myself!

The compound usually serves as an adjective:

• Do you have a backup copy of your site?
• I lost the setup instructions.
• The makeup exam is on October 1.
• Marathon runners have insane workout programs.
• Watch out, he’s a pickup artist.
• Hit the wakeup button!

Or the compound can serve as a noun:

• I wish I had a backup of my site.
• That was a setup.
• She puts loads of makeup on her face.
• That workout makes people vomit.
• There’s been a pickup in business.
• What time is wakeup?

What’s the big deal?

You might wonder why we flip out over stress the importance of accurate grammar and usage. Well, there are a couple of reasons …

1. You look silly or unprofessional when you don’t get it right. Don’t think the content proofreading police aren’t watching. They are. And they never sleep.
2. Great writers not only struggle with their words and getting ideas down on paper accurately, but with fine tuning everything — including their usage.

Sharpening the saw in the small stuff is a healthy habit for writers … no matter how long they’ve been in the business.

So, any time you think you might be using a word incorrectly, look it up. You’ll keep people from laughing at you, and get a little smarter in the process.

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Compound Words - our list contains over 500 words

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What are Compound Words?

Compound words are made by joining two or more words; the combination creates a new word. They can be formed using two nouns, e.g. basketball, two non-nouns, e.g. blowup, or a noun and non-noun, e.g. sunrise. It is important to note that the words do not always keep their original meaning, e.g. breakfast. Our list of compound words contains 500 words.

There are three types of compound words:

• Closed compound words, e.g., football, peanut,
• Open compound words, e.g., cell phone, high school, and
• Hyphenated compound words, e.g., in-depth, runner-up.

List of Compound Words

To determine if a compound word is one word, two words or hyphenated, use a dictionary to look up the word or our lists below. The list below excludes both fractions and compound numbers from 21 to 91. These words are hyphenated, e.g., two-thirds, one-half, thirty-nine and ninety-one.

Closed Words

These words have no spaces. Our list contains hundreds of words, so we organized them in alphabetical order. Click on a letter below to obtain a list of those compound words.

Open Words

Open compound words have a space between the words. The following are open compound words:

Hyphenated Words

The list below excludes spelled out fractions and compound numbers from 21 to 91. Please note you hyphenate all spelled out fractions, e.g., two-thirds, one-half, and compound numbers from 21 to 91, e.g., thirty-nine, ninety-one. The following are hyphenated compound words:

Source: Fry, E. B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

Merriam-Webster Children’s Dictionary, 3rd Edition 2008.

Reader Interactions

13 compound words where you keep doubling the wrong letters

It's not enough to memorize words with double consonants. You also need to remember which ones you need to duplicate. Especially if there are two or three options to choose from, and it is impossible to check the word, except in a dictionary. Enough tolerating this. We talk about words that extort double consonants from us in the wrong place.

Correct: art

The simplest noun from our Sunday list, which is taught in elementary school and fixed in grade 5-6. More precisely, by this time you finally remember which letter “c” you need to double. There is no test word, but if you parse the word by composition, it will be easier: the root is “skus”, the suffix is ​​“stv”, the ending is “o”. We recall the rule that double consonants are written at the junction of a root and a suffix when they end (root) and begin (suffix) with the same letter "C". The main thing is not to confuse it with the adjective "skillful", in which no doubles are needed. nine0003

Correct: birthday girl

Birthday is a sad holiday (especially when you are congratulated “happy birthday”). But we're talking about something else here. We make a morphemic analysis of the word “birthday girl”: the root “im”, the interfix “en”, the suffix “in”, another suffix “nits” and the ending “a”. At the junction of two suffixes we write a double "n". You see, it’s not in vain that at school they force you to do a dull analysis of the word by composition. Helpful!

Correct: appeal

A concept that you will learn closer to the Unified State Examination, when you have to win invaluable points, and sometimes file an appeal (although this does not always end successfully). If you write a word without errors, this is already half the battle. "Appeal" is spelled with a double "l", not "p". It is also important to know that the appeal is simply filed. And if you need to say that you are filing an appeal against something specific, then the preposition “to” appears: to file an appeal against the result of an exam in mathematics.

Correct: asymmetry

There is almost no clear symmetry in nature, but nevertheless, the word "asymmetry" must be written correctly. Rubric "curious Google statistics": the query "asymmetry" with two "C" is half a million results. And this, as you probably guessed, is a mistake. It is correct to double the letter "m", as in the pair word "symmetry". But there is still a difference between them, and this is not only the prefix "a", but also the emphasis: symmetry and asymmetry.

Correct: hallelujah

The most famous version of this song was performed by Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah. In Russian, everything is like in the title of the song: doubling in exactly the same place. In fact, the word comes from Hebrew and literally translates as “praise Jehovah,” which means a prayerful cry of praise.

Correct: immunodeficiency

If you correctly write the words "immunity" and "deficiency", then there should be no problems with "immunodeficiency" either. The main thing is to correctly divide the word into parts. Immunodeficiency is a disease that manifests itself in the weakening or complete absence of immunity. We hope you have encountered this word for the first (and last) time, and you will never have to write it. nine0003

Correct: terrace

In nouns where there is a consonant "p" or "s", it is especially easy to mix everything up. The word "terrace" came to us from French, where it is written immediately with two pairs of doubled consonants - terrasse. Only the double "r" reached the Russian language. Although there is an opinion among couch experts in linguistics that "terrace" and "terrace" are equal options. This is not true.

Correct: terrorism, territory

The level of difficulty increases if two "P"s occur at once in a word. More precisely, three - because one of them doubles. The main thing is to correctly determine where exactly you need to write two in a row, and where one. The words in the card are different in meaning, but similar in spelling. And if we recall the previous word "terrace", then the rule (conditionally!) can be deduced as follows: always double the first "p".

Correct: discussion

Knowing the origin of a word can be useful. That is, you are unlikely to become a walking etymological dictionary, but remember the correct spelling. This helps, especially when it comes to a dictionary word that cannot be verified. So "discussion" - from lat. discussio "research, discussion". In Russian, this is usually called a public discussion of some controversial issue. nine0003

Correct: battery

Say hello to everyone who sells something on Avito (hidden advertising). You are great fellows, but remember that a competent announcement is the key to a successful sale. Agree, it is suspicious whether your "battery" or "battery" works so well if it is written incorrectly. Each option in Google has from 10 to 45,000 results in the SERP. But the most common option for mistakes (prepare to be surprised) is "accumulator". Google finds as many as 429000 results for this query. Fortunately, the correct option is much more popular (62 million results) - an accumulator with two "k" and through the letter "y". Everything is elementary!

Correct: Colonnade

This card is sponsored by TripAdvisor. Get acquainted with the spelling of another near-architectural word straight from France: colonnade. This is the designation of a series of columns united by a horizontal overlap (Wikipedia minute). Among the brightest representatives is the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral. Let's move on to spelling and etymology: in French colonnade, in Russian almost the same - colonnade. Next time you can show off your knowledge on some excursion. nine0003

Correct: travel bag

Once we have already analyzed this noun, but from the position of correct pronunciation and stress. The word is not exactly popular in Russian, but writing it correctly is another challenge. Etymology comes to the rescue again: the word "necessaire" is of French origin (from necessaire), and all doubled consonants are preserved. Just in case, let's recall the definition: a travel bag is a suitcase with accessories for the toilet, sewing and everything you need. nine0003

Compound sentence in Russian - types, types, examples

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Today we will analyze a topic that is relevant for many 9th grade students. Namely: what sentences in Russian are called complex, what groups they are divided into and how to find them in the text.

What is a compound sentence

An example of a complex sentence:

According to the connection between the parts, complex sentences are divided into two types - allied (compound and complex) and non-union. In the first case, the parts are connected by unions and allied words, in the second - by meaning.

In total, there are 3 types of complex sentences. Let's look at them in a table.

Russian demo lesson

Take the test at the introductory lesson and find out what topics separate you from the "five" in Russian.

Compound sentence

Parts of such complex sentences are connected by conjunctions and allied words: connecting (and, yes, also, etc.) , adversative (a, but, but, etc.) , divisive (or, then ... then, not that ... not that, etc. ) or combinations thereof.

Examples:

• I wanted a pie, and the apples are already ripe.

• I wanted a pie, but the apples weren't ripe yet.

• Either mother will bake pies, or grandmother will come with buns.

Sometimes parts of compound sentences are connected without a coordinating union and a union word - in meaning. Such proposals are called non-union.

Example:

• Summer ended famously: it got colder outside, the leaves began to turn red and wither.

Punctuation marks in compound sentences

In sentences with conjunctions and, yes, however, either, etc. it is customary to put a comma. Except when:

Exception

If the parts of a complex sentence have a common minor member or subordinate clause, but they are connected by a repeating conjunction, a comma must be used.

Example:

• There were puppet shows in the town fair, cotton candy vendors, and touts shouting for rides.

In non-union compound sentences, parts are divided not only by commas, but also by dashes, colons and semicolons. We discussed this topic in detail in the article on compound sentences. nine0003

Compound sentence

Example of a complex sentence:

• It was hard for me to understand how she managed to get used to the new city so quickly. nine0143