Make compound words


150 Examples of Compound Words for Kids – TurtleDiary.com

Compound words are formed when two or more words are joined together to create a new word that has an entirely new meaning.

Click here for Compound Words Games, Videos, Quizzes, Worksheets and Lessons.

For example, “sun” and “flower” are two different words, but when fused together, they form another word, Sunflower. These words are formed by either adding a hyphen or just using the two words as a single term.  The spelling of the two words is not necessarily changed when they are joined together, but the definition becomes unique.

 

    

Consider the words “make up” and “makeup”. This is a more advanced example of a compound word because the resulting combination is a homonym and can be used in more than one way.

Make up your mind fast.

My makeup was ruined by the rain!

I have a makeup exam tomorrow.

In the first sentence, make up is a verb. In the second sentence, makeup is used as a noun.  In the third sentence, we see makeup as an adjective describing “exam.”

Types of Compound Words

There are three types of compound words;

  1. Closed Compound words: These words are written as a single word, such as haircut, newspaper, grandmother, etc.
  2. Open Compounds: Compound words that are written as separate words such as high school, living room, school bus, etc.
  3. Hyphenated Compounds: Words that use a hyphen in between two words, such as well-known, second-rate, merry-go-round, etc.

Fun ways to teach Compound Words

Every child has a different way of learning. What works for one may not work for another so we have created these fun ways to teach your kid compound words. Choose the best activity that tailors to your kid’s learning style.

  • Visual learning style – Prepare flashcards, half with words and half with pictures. Have your child lay them out in grid style and flip two cards over at a time. The goal is to find a word and a picture to create a compound word. Students will have to use their memory to succeed at this game.
  • Kinesthetic learning style- Give students a compound word and have them draw the two “parts” of the compound word. For example, for “doghouse” a kid would draw a dog and a house.
  • Help the kids make compound word daisies. Have them write a word in the middle of the paper flower and ask them to write compound words that utilize the word on the petals.

Once your students know the basics of compounds, you can help them move onto more difficult words.

Practice with these 150 examples of compound words:

  1. Airplane
  2. Airport
  3. Angelfish
  4. Antfarm
  5. Ballpark
  6. Beachball
  7. Bikerack
  8. Billboard
  9. Blackhole
  10. Blueberry
  11. Boardwalk
  12. Bodyguard
  13. Bookstore
  14. Bow Tie
  15. Brainstorm
  16. Busboy
  17. Cabdriver
  18. Candlestick
  19. Car wash
  20. Cartwheel
  21. Catfish
  22. Caveman
  23. Chocolate chip
  24. Crossbow
  25. Daydream
  26. Deadend
  27. Doghouse
  28. Dragonfly
  29. Dress shoes
  30. Dropdown
  31. Earlobe
  32. Earthquake
  33. Eyeballs
  34. Father-in-law
  35. Fingernail
  36. Firecracker
  37. Firefighter
  38. Firefly
  39. Firework
  40. Fishbowl
  41. Fisherman
  42. Fishhook
  43. Football
  44. Forget
  45. Forgive
  46. French fries
  47. Goodnight
  48. Grandchild
  49. Groundhog
  50. Hairband
  51. Hamburger
  52. Handcuff
  53. Handout
  54. Handshake
  55. Headband
  56. Herself
  57. High heels
  58. Honeydew
  59. Hopscotch
  60. Horseman
  61. Horseplay
  62. Hotdog
  63. Ice cream
  64. Itself
  65. Kickball
  66. Kickboxing
  67. Laptop
  68. Lifetime
  69. Lighthouse
  70. Mailman
  71. Midnight
  72. Milkshake
  73. Moonrocks
  74. Moonwalk
  75. Mother-in-law
  76. Movie theater
  77. Newborn
  78. Newsletter
  79. Newspaper
  80. Nightlight
  81. Nobody
  82. Northpole
  83. Nosebleed
  84. Outer space
  85. Over-the-counter
  86. Overestimate
  87. Paycheck
  88. Policeman
  89. Ponytail
  90. Post card
  91. Racquetball
  92. Railroad
  93. Rainbow
  94. Raincoat
  95. Raindrop
  96. Rattlesnake
  97. Rockband
  98. Rocketship
  99. Rowboat
  100. Sailboat
  101. Schoolbooks
  102. Schoolwork
  103. Shoelace
  104. Showoff
  105. Skateboard
  106. Snowball
  107. Snowflake
  108. Softball
  109. Solar system
  110. Soundproof
  111. Spaceship
  112. Spearmint
  113. Starfish
  114. Starlight
  115. Stingray
  116. Strawberry
  117. Subway
  118. Sunglasses
  119. Sunroof
  120. Supercharge
  121. Superman
  122. Superstar
  123. Tablespoon
  124. Tailbone
  125. Tailgate
  126. Take down
  127. Takeout
  128. Taxpayer
  129. Teacup
  130. Teammate
  131. Teaspoon
  132. Tennis shoes
  133. Throwback
  134. Timekeeper
  135. Timeline
  136. Timeshare
  137. Tugboat
  138. Tupperware
  139. Underestimate
  140. Uplift
  141. Upperclassman
  142. Uptown
  143. Video game
  144. Wallflower
  145. Waterboy
  146. Watermelon
  147. Wheelchair
  148. Without
  149. Workboots
  150. Worksheet

Examples of Compound Words by Type

  • DESCRIPTION

    Grandmother With Compound Word Example

  • SOURCE

    Grandmother: Natalia Kosheleva / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Background: Tolchik / iStock / Getty Images Plus

  • PERMISSION

    Used under Getty Images license

Compound words are an easy way to add interest to your writing. By combining two ideas in one word, you can quickly provide all the information needed. These examples of compounds will show you how it's done.

What Are Compound Words?

A compound word is formed when two words are combined to make a new word. It is one of the ways in which the English language is flexible and always changing, as compound words allow people to create new words as the need arises.

For example, you might use “in” and “side” to create the compound word “inside”.

We should play inside today.

The words “carry” and “over” can make the compound word “carry over”.

We can carry over that surplus into the next sprint.

As you can see, compound words can come in different varieties. Explore examples of each.

Advertisement

Examples of Compound Words

When it comes to compound words, there are three different types that are important: closed-form, open-form, and hyphenated. Dive into how each type of compound word is different.

Closed-Form Compound Word Examples

Closed compound words are formed when two fully independent, unique words are combined to create a new word. For example, you would combine “grand” and “mother” to create the closed-form word “grandmother”. In a sentence, this would look like, “My grandmother is coming over.” These are the most common types of compound words.

For example:

  • bullfrog
  • snowball
  • mailbox
  • grandmother
  • railroad
  • sometimes
  • inside
  • upstream
  • basketball
  • anybody
  • outside
  • cannot
  • skateboard
  • everything
  • schoolhouse
  • grasshopper
  • sunflower
  • moonlight

Advertisement

Open Compound Word Examples

Open compound words are formed when two words remain separate on the page but are used together to create a new idea with a specific meaning. For example, “attorney” and “general” are used to form the open compound word “attorney general”. You could see this in the sentence, “The attorney general holds the power in legal matters.” Other examples of open compounds include:

  • peanut butter
  • Boy Scouts
  • no one
  • ice cream
  • real estate
  • high school
  • living room
  • sweet tooth
  • hot dog
  • grand jury
  • post office
  • full moon
  • half sister
  • cave in

Hyphenated Compound Word Examples

Hyphenated compound words are formed when two separate words are joined together by a hyphen. Examples of hyphenated compound words include:

  • two-fold
  • check-in
  • merry-go-round
  • father-in-law
  • seventy-two
  • long-term
  • up-to-date
  • mother-in-law
  • one-half
  • over-the-counter

Note that hyphenated compound words are most commonly used when the words being joined together are combined to form an adjective before a noun. For example:

  • forty-acre farm
  • full-time worker
  • on-campus housing
  • state-of-the-art features
  • family-run busines

However, these hyphenated compound words become open compounds when they are placed after the word they describe. For example:

  • The farm has forty acres.
  • The worker is full time.
  • The housing is all on campus for freshman
  • Its features are truly state of the art.
  • The business is still family run.

Advertisement

Compound Words in Sentences

Now that you learned about the different types of compound words, see if you can find the compound words in the sentences below.

  • My grandfather is coming home for the holidays.
  • I really want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
  • The real estate agent had to take a test to get her license.
  • She is a part-time teacher.
  • That is our full-time worker.
  • I’m so tired of looking for on-campus housing.
  • He was seventy-two years old.
  • Let’s go play some basketball
  • Has anybody seen my binder?

If you have those down, try creating a few sentences using compound words that you create!

Compound the Reader's Interest

By adding compound words to your writing, you can make your ideas more interesting and descriptive for the reader. The addition of too many compounds can be messy, especially hyphenated compound words; so, be sure to use compound words wisely. Like any seasoning, they are best sprinkled throughout your writing instead of used in every line.

Now, that you have a grasp of compound words, you might want to dive into some compound sentence examples.

How to write difficult words that baffle many people

Russian is the largest and most widespread of the Slavic languages. Not surprisingly, many terms can be difficult to spell and pronounce. Try saying or writing the words "internationalize", "self-defense" or "whirlpool" quickly. Most likely, the first time you will not be able to quickly read them, but do not rush to get upset. Use simple tips that will help you speak fluently and beautifully.

A bit of theory. How do compound words appear?

Compound words are speech constructions that have two or more roots in their morphological composition. New words are formed by adding existing words (excellency, eleventh grader), or borrowed from foreign languages ​​(hot dog, deadline, networking). Compound words are formed as follows:

Morphological method. New words are formed on the basis of existing foundations by combining with various affixes, as well as using the connecting letters o, e and e, for example: helicopter, dried fruits, rockfall, water carrier, earthquake, sound combination, housewarming, armchair-bed.

Syntactic way. New formations appear through the addition of independent words or the transition from one part of speech to another: forward looking, crazy, hairdresser, now, immediately.

Words using foreign prefixes anti-, hyper-, super-, trans-, pan-, post-, sub-, super-, ultra-, extra- and others: infrastructure, anti-scientific, transcontinental, arch-reactionary, extraordinary, hyperactive , superintendent.

Foreign words. Increasingly, new words began to appear from other languages: outsourcing, know-how, price list, startup, freelancer, traffic, bestseller, blockbuster, image maker.

Advice 1. For the correct spelling or pronunciation of complex words, mentally determine the method of word formation, divide the speech structure into prefixes and roots, and slowly pronounce the word.

How to deal with stresses in compound words?

As a rule, people understand complex words not only as long speech constructions, but also words that are difficult to immediately emphasize: oil pipeline, petition, sorrel, carpenter, gas pipeline, marketing, management, blinds, rubber. Here you need to remember a few rules.

  1. If the term comes from English, then in most cases the stress will be on the first syllable or as in the original version in a foreign language: jeans, blender, hoodie, broker, rating, selfie. And in the French version, on the last syllable: lampshade, parter, fountain, chassis.
  2. In compound words ending in meter, in the meaning of a measure of length, we always put the stress on -meter: kilometer, nanometer, micrometer.
  3. 3. In words ending in -wire, in the meaning of a device for transportation, we put the emphasis on the last syllable: gasoline pipeline, garbage pipeline, light pipeline. Exception: electrical wire.
  4. If the noun ends in -log, then the stress will also be on the last syllable: pledge, tax, obituary.

Advice 2. Get a file on your phone or laptop, create a vocabulary list for spelling complex words with highlighted stresses. It is important that the list is always at hand. Write down interesting terms that may be useful to you in your studies or at work. Go over the list daily to remember these words and easily pronounce them at any time.

The ability to correctly and beautifully express one's thoughts is a necessary skill for any profession: from a teacher, journalist, PR manager to a bartender, groomer or makeup artist. Therefore, it is important to develop this skill by replenishing your knowledge base with new terms. Find out what other basic skills exist and how well you master them. Follow the link https://rsv.ru/hard-skills to select the necessary basic skills and find out your level of knowledge.

25 words that baffle many when writing

February 23, 2021 Education

How to write complex words correctly and remain a literate person.

You can listen to the article. If it's more convenient for you, turn on the podcast.

1. Traffic

In English, traffic is indeed spelled with a double consonant. However, when borrowing from a foreign language, the second letter is usually lost, which happened with the word “traffic”, so you should write it with only one “f”.

2. Future

The word "future" often gets the letter "u" by analogy with the word "next". But it is easily disassembled into the root bud- and the suffix -usch-. There is simply no place for an additional sign. If spelling is difficult, you can try to remember through the synonym "future". Still, even those who doubt very much will not raise their hand to write “the coming one”.

3. Offline

The word “offline”, like “offshore”, “offside”, close to it, lost a double consonant when they were entered into dictionaries, which is typical for borrowings. At the same time, if the spelling “offline” can still be explained by confusion with the original language, then the version “offline” is puzzling: in English, the word is also written without a hyphen.

Check 🧐

  • TEST: Together, separate or hyphenated? Write 10 words without mistakes!

4. Rinses

If you're not talking to your washing machine, it's hard to imagine in what situation you might need the word "rinse". But just in case, it’s worth remembering that you need to correctly give out instructions with the word form “rinse”.

5.

Producer

Probably, the extra "s" is formed by analogy with the word "director". But in both Russian and English, “producer” is written without doubled consonants.

6. Come

The word has gone through many transformations. In old books, it can be found in the versions "come" and "come". Yes, and the analogy with "go" is clearly visible. However, in dictionaries it is fixed only in one form - "to come."

7. Grapefruit

No matter how much one would like to make "grapefruit" a full-fledged "fruit", this word is pronounced in the same way as in the language from which it was borrowed. Otherwise, the first part of the word would have to be Russified, but “grape fruit” does not sound very attractive.

8. Blogger

For foreign words that extort a second consonant, there is a rule: if there is a single-root word, then you should use only one letter from the double ones. A blogger maintains a blog, so he is not allowed to use extra letters.

9. Hardly

According to Vasmer's etymological dictionary, the invariable particle "hardly" comes from the word "row", it can be used as a test. And the “li” particle is always written separately, so do not be lazy to press the spacebar.

10. Imagine

Frankly speaking, the word “imagination” does not exist in the vast majority of dictionaries and literary Russian. But it has a certain semantic connotation and can look cute in colloquial speech. At the same time, one does not need to be a linguist to sob with bloody tears from the "vybrazhuli". So check "imagination" with the word "imagination" and spare other people's eyes.

11. Ice cream

If ice cream means a calorie bomb made from milk or cream, then you should always write one “n” in this word. This noun is formed from an imperfective verb, the letter in such cases is not doubled.

Fill in the letters 🎓

  • QUIZ:​ How good are you at spelling double consonants?

12.

Cappuccino

In Italian, from which the name coffee with milk foam comes, the word cappuccino was generously sprinkled with consonants. But in Russian, none of them is doubled. Therefore, you can nod understandingly when once again instead of cappuccino on the menu you will meet “cappuccino” or “cappuccino”.

13. Mosaic

Whether it's a picture of tightly packed pieces of glass or a children's puzzle, forget about bunnies and write correctly: mosaic.

14. Handwriting

The insidious "d" tries to fit in here, but it has no place in the word "handwriting". Because when you sit down to write a text by hand, you do not intend to emphasize anything, but rather to underline.

15. Bulletin

“Bulletin” is a dictionary word, so you have to memorize it. The fact that it came from the Latin bulla - “ball”, “seal” can help in this.

16. Legitimacy

There are many options for manipulating the word "legitimacy", but it's better not to do this and just remember how it is spelled.

17. Realtor

It is difficult to avoid confusion with the word realtor. Office programs do not underline it in red in any spelling, the “Russian Guild of Realtors” insists on the letter “e” in its name, and even the authors of dictionaries cannot come to a consensus. And yet, in the most authoritative Russian spelling dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences, edited by Lopatin, the form “realtor” is fixed, it is better to stick to it.

18. Registration

The check word "register" will help you find out which letter is hidden in the place of an unstressed vowel, and will not allow you to write "registration" incorrectly.

19. Gynecologist

Gynecologist is not related to the word "gene", but is very closely related to the Greek "gyneka" - "woman".

20. Gastarbeiter

Remembering how the word "guest worker" is written is simple: in German gastarbeiter consists of two parts: gast - "guest" and arbeiter - "worker".

21.

Colander

Another word from the German language, where the letters tend to get mixed up. "Colander" comes from durchschlagen, which breaks down into durch - "through", "through" and schlagen - "hit". But if the etymology does not help to remember the correct order of the letters, you can go the associative way, especially since the word is so consonant with a popular curse word.

22. Calories

The word "calorie" was borrowed from French. Calorie entered the Russian language practically unchanged, there are no double consonants in it.

23. Vinaigrette

The name of the salad comes from the French vinaigre - "vinegar", and it - from the word vin - "wine". This makes it easier to remember how to properly describe the vegetable mixture. As for the second vowel in a word, it is enough to remember that it does not coincide with the first. Then you will write "vinaigrette" without a single mistake.

24. Shopping

In English, shopping is spelled with a double consonant, and many want to transfer the two "p" and into Russian.


Learn more