IV. 2. Exercises for practice

Exercise 1. Read the following compound nouns and then write them down into the groups:

1. noun stem + noun stem

2. adjective stem + noun stem

3. verb stem + noun stem

Snowfall, cherry tree, dancing-hall, bluebell, blackout, dining-room, snowball, apple tree, spaceship, tortoise-shell, ant-hill, fire-fighters, gooseberry, water-lily, inkpot, bluebird, skylark, butterfly, grasshopper, dish-water, cook-room, dock-master, humming-bird, drawbridge, hooping-cough, sea-gull, sunflower, dinner-jacket, dish-cloth, smoke screen, dockyard, goldfinch, double-bass, coping stone, goalkeeper, , sleeping-car, merry-maker, smoking-carriage, gas-stove, draughtboard, Fairyland, dining-car, copsewood, sleep-walker, Good-man, dog-house, dinner-party, sleepy-head, smoking-compartment, fairytale, rocking-horse, dressing-table, postman, newspaper, note-book, money-box, milkman, dragon-fly, ice-cream, haystack, wheatcock, hazel-nuts, boxing-ring, pole-vaulting, kettledrum, watering-pot, table-cloth, sewing-machine, vacuum-cleaner, wash-tub, ironing-board, cupboard, honeycombs, watering-machine, seed-pot, potato-bed, screw-driver, tire-cover, shop-assistant, great-grandmother, swaddling-cloth, coffee-pot, carving-knife, kitchen-sink, salt-cellar, cowboy, suit-case, sand-martin, water-plant, sucking-pigs, skipping-rope, wheelbarrow, soap-box, wall-paper, racking-chair, battle-field, goodwill, headline, strike-breaker, background.

Exercise 2. Write the plural of the following compounds.

Policeman, smelling-bottle, passer-by, snowball, landlord, lady-in-waiting, ladybird, forget-me-not, step-daughter, hat-check girl, housewife, custom-house, woman-teacher, man-of-war, mischief-maker, clergyman, looker-on, court martial, countrywoman, headline, workman, grown-up, hair-raiser, hardhead, fingertip, kiss-me-quick, knee-boot, nut-pine, oil-well, pathway, mother-in-law, room-mate, merry-go-round, fellow-worker, man-of-war, school-inspector, commander-in-chief, boy-messenger, personnel-manager, woman-driver, man-servant, hanger-on, face-lift, spoonful, cupful, boyfriend, grown-up, office-block, workmate, Frenchman, Roman, on-looker, brother-in-law, pencil-sharpener, woman-doctor, man-eater, lady-killer, man-of-letters, Norman, clergyman.

Exercise 3. Use the nouns in the following sentences in the plural.

1. I heard the loud voice of a passer-by. 2. His brother served as a personal boy-messenger for a commander-in-chief. 3. The boy lives in a suburb of the city. 4. I sometimes visit the family of my fellow-student. 5. In this park children can ride on a merry-go-round. 6. The girl was trying to find a forget-me-not in the garden. 7. In quarrels, as well as in business deals, we often need a mediator, i.e. a person serving as a go-between. 8. What kind of thing is called a pencil-sharpener? 9. A woman usually prefers to consult a woman-doctor (female doctor) rather than a man-doctor (male doctor). 10. In what country does a Dutchman live, and what language does he speak? 11. To an idle by-stander, the scene might seem ridiculous. 12. A Roman is a person who lived in the ancient Roman Empire.

Exercise 4. Read and translate the following compound nouns. Find compounds which are countable (8), uncountable (6) and those which are used either in singular or the plural (6).

heart attack, greenhouse effect, luxury goods, pedestrian crossing, contact lens, package holiday, food poisoning, mother tongue, birth control, roadworks, human rights, arms race, alarm clock, pocket money, hay fever, blood donor, blood pressure, data processing, generation gap, kitchen scissors, assembly line, sunglasses, labour force, race relations, windscreen wiper, brain drain

Exercise 5. Rewrite the following phrases according to the example.

a factory which produces automobiles – an automobile factory

a man who drives a bus – a bus driver

a machine that washes dishes – a dishwasher

paper for writing letters – writing paper

1. a shop that sells books

2. an editor of a newspaper

3. a person who pays taxes

4. a brush for shoes

5. cake made with raisin

6. a garage for cars

7. a company which provides insurance

8. a bag made of leather

9. a tool for sharpening pencils

10. a book which has cheques

11. a machine for washing clothes

12. a license to drive a car

13. a person who dresses and cuts hair

14. an office that sells tickets

15. a device for opening tins

Exercise 6.

A. Make up compound structures according to the example.

a child who is five years old – a five year old child

1. a man whose weight is six feet

2. a walk which covers three miles

3. a programme which lasts half an hour

4. a flight which takes two hours and a half

5. a hotel having four stars

6. a lorry which can carry 5 tonnes

7. a field of fifty acres

B. Paraphrase the sentence according to the example.

She’s got a flat of two rooms. – She’s got a two-room flat.

1. He covered a distance of two miles.

2. Her holiday in California lasted 10 days.

3. They decided to take an interval of three hours.

4. She lives in a building that has sixteen storeys.

5. His call to Paris lasted five minutes.

6. While I was on holidays I met two charming girls of twenty years old.

7. He saw a film of two series yesterday.

8. She bought two bags of potatoes that weigh five kilos.

9. He gave us a banknote of fifty dollars to change.

10. I wrote a composition which covered twenty pages.

Exercise 7. What do we call these things and people? Use the structure noun + noun.

1. a ticket for a concert is a concert ticket

2. a magazine about computers is ___________

3. pictures taken on your vacation are your ____________

4. chocolate made with milk is _____________

5. somebody whose job is to inspect factories is ____________

6. a lawyer from Vacouver is ___________

7. the results of your exams are your _____________

8. a race for horses is _____________

9. a horse that runs in races is ____________

10. the carpet in the dining room is ______________

11. a scandal involving an oil company is ______________

12. a question that has two parts is ____________

13. a girl who is seven years old is ____________

14. a building with five stories is _____________

Exercise 8. Complete the sentences using one of the following:

15 minute(s)	five day(s)	two hour(s)	ten page(s)
60 minute(s)	five course(s)	20 dollar(s)	500 year(s)
six mile(s)	two year(s)	six mile(s)	450 page(s)

Sometimes you need the singular (day, page, etc.) and sometimes the plural (days, pages, etc.).

1. It’s a very long book. There are 450 pages.

2. A few days ago I received a ten-page letter from Julia.

3. I didn’t have any change. I only had a __________ bill.

4. At work I usually have a ___________ coffee break in the morning.

5. There are ____________ in an hour.

6. It’s only a ____________ flight from London to Madrid.

7. It was a big meal. There were ____________.

8. Mary has just started a new job. She has a ___________ contract.

9. The oldest building in the city is the ______________-old castle.

10. I work ________________ a week. I’m off on Saturday and Sunday.

11. We went for a ____________ walk in the country.

12. We went for a long walk in the country. We walked __________.

Exercise 9. Cover the compounds below and read the meanings. Do you know the compounds, or can you guess them?

MEANING	COMPOUND NOUN
an official document that shows you are qualified to drive	driving license
an official document showing when and where you were born	birth certificate
a part for a car or machine to replace an old or broken part	spare part
a person walking past a place by chance	passer-by
a short holiday from Friday to Sunday, or Saturday to Monday	long weekend
the number of years that a person is likely to live	life expectancy
a path or route that is quicker than the normal way	short cut / shortcut
clothes that you wear to a party to make you appear a different character	fancy dress
a short and usually very old song or poem for young children	nursery rhyme
a machine into which you put money in the hope of winning more back	fruit/ slot machine
your closest living relative (often used on official documents)	next of kin
	-

A. Replace the underlined word with a more appropriate word that forms a compound.

1. Do you know a short way to the school from here?

2. I ripped my shirt on the twisted wire around the field.

3. What’s the average life length for men in your country?

4. I stepped on a drawing nail; it really hurt.

5. I need some paper staples to put these notes together.

6. Have you got any nail paint?

7. Is it easy to get new parts for your car?

8. I stopped and asked a walker-by where the park was.

.

B. Complete the compound in each sentence. Write answers to the questions ABOUT YOU or ask another student.

1 Have you got a driving ___________? How long have you had it?

2 Have you written your next of __________ in your passport? Who is yours?

3 Have you been to a __________ dress party? If so, who did you go as?

4 Do you remember any nursery _________? If so, which ones?

5 When did you last go away for a long __________? Where did you go?

6 Do you know where your birth ___________is? If so, where is it?

7 Do you ever play on__________ machines? If so, do you often win?

Exercise 10. Cover the compounds below and read the meanings. Do you know the compounds, or can you guess them?

EXAMPLE	MEANING
We had torrential rain last night.	very heavy rain.
They are predicting gale-force winds tonight.	very strong winds.
I had considerable difficulty getting here.	a lot of difficulty. SYN great difficulty.
The storms caused extensive damage.	a lot of damage. SYN widespread damage.
He speaks with a strong accent.	a very noticeable accent. SYN slight accent.
It was a great honour to meet the president.	an action or occasion that creates a feeling of pride.
We made a real effort to finish it on time.	a big effort. SYN special/concerted effort.
My main concern is the effect of the drugs.	biggest worry. SYN principal concern (also
	growing concern = an increasing concern).
It's nice to see a familiar face.	a person who you recognize and know.
Could you give us a brief summary?	a short statement giving the main points of sth.
It was a classic example of his stupidity.	a very typical example of sth. SYN perfect example.
I had to face strong criticism over this issue.	a lot of disapproval from others. SYN fierce
	criticism (also widespread criticism).
The place was in utter chaos when I arrived.	a state of complete confusion. SYN total chaos.
The children had a narrow escape.	= they were lucky to get away safely.