Occasionally, we encounter compound nouns: two nouns joined together to create a new meaning. In these cases, the first noun modifies the second, like an adjective, replacing the need for the possessive form (‘s and of). For instance:
Compound nouns with two separate words
- School bus
- Car park
- Bus stop
- Car key
- Ice cream
Compound nouns used as one word
- toothpaste
- haircut
- bathroom
Compound nouns linked with a hyphen
- letter-box
- dry-cleaning
- father-in-law
Containers
We often use compound nouns to refer to a container, which is usually empty, such as a tea cup, a wine glass, a beer glass, a matchbox, etc.
Example
- Can you pass me those tea cups?
- She keeps the insects that she catches in that matchbox.
And we use noun + of + noun more often to refer to a container with its content. For example: a cup of tea, a glass of wine, a glass of beer, a box of matches, etc.
Example
- Would you like a cup of tea?
- Do you have a box of matches? I need to light this candle.
References