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What Are Compound Nouns?
Compound nouns are made by combining two or more words to form a single noun with a specific meaning—like notebook, mother-in-law, or post office. They can appear as one word, hyphenated, or as separate words.
Learning and practicing compound nouns is essential because they’re everywhere in everyday English. Mastering them will help you expand your vocabulary and speak more naturally.
In this post, you’ll find interactive exercises—matching, categorization, multiple-choice, and gap-fill activities—that will make learning compound nouns both fun and effective.
How to Complete the Exercises
- Matching Exercise: Connect the words in Column A with those in Column B to form correct compound nouns.
- Categorization: The structure of compound nouns can vary. In this exercise, group the compound nouns according to their formation patterns—for example, noun + noun, verb + noun, and so on.
- Multiple Choice: Choose the correct compound noun to complete each sentence.
- Gap Fill: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate compound noun from the provided list.
Ready? Let’s begin!
Compound Nouns Exercises
The following interactive exercises include matching, categorization, multiple-choice, and gap-fill activities to help you master compound nouns.
Do the tasks and click the button to check your answers
Exercise 1: Matching Parts of Compound Nouns
Match the words in Column A with those in Column B to form correct compound nouns:
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. Tooth | a. paper |
| 2. Sun | b. shelf |
| 3. News | c. brush |
| 4. Rain | d. glasses |
| 5. Hair | e. coat |
| 6. Book | f. cut |
| 7. Eye | g. shine |
1. Tooth + c → Toothbrush
2. Sun + g → Sunshine
3. News + a → Newspaper
4. Rain + e → Raincoat
5. Hair + f → Haircut
6. Book + b → Bookshelf
7. Eye + d → Eyeglasses
Exercise 2: Categorizing Compound Nouns
Sort the following compound nouns into the correct categories:
- toothpaste
- blackberry
- small talk
- rainfall
- greenhouse
- swimming pool
- drawback
- output
- take-off
- bystander
- mother-in-law
- haircut
- software
- lookout
- washing machine
- whiteboard
- motorcycle
- upturn
- printer cartridge
- underworld
- water tank
- train-spotting
- surfboard
- swimsuit
- bedroom
- go-between
- basketball
- bookstore
- input
- onlooker
- driving license
- overthrow
- son-in-law
- lady-in-waiting
- black box
- breakfast
- redhead
- passerby
| Types of Compound Nouns | Examples |
|---|---|
| 1. Noun + Noun | |
| 2. Noun + Verb | |
| 3. Adjective + Noun | |
| 4. Verb + Noun | |
| 5. Verb + Preposition / Particle | |
| 6. Preposition / Particle + Verb | |
| 7. Preposition / Particle + Noun | |
| 8. Noun + Prepositional Phrase |
1. Noun + Noun → (toothpaste, bedroom, water tank, motorcycle, printer cartridge, basketball, bookstore)
2. Noun + Verb → (rainfall, haircut, train-spotting)
3. Adjective + Noun → (blackberry, small talk, greenhouse, software, breakfast, whiteboard, redhead, black box)
4. Verb + Noun → (surfboard, swimsuit, swimming pool, washing machine, driving license)
5. Verb + Preposition / Particle → (drawback, lookout, take-off, go-between, passerby)
6. Preposition / Particle + Verb →(output, overthrow, upturn, input)
7. Preposition / Particle + Noun → (bystander, onlooker, underworld)
8. Noun + Prepositional Phrase → (son-in-law, lady-in-waiting)
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct compound noun to complete each sentence:
- We store our gardening tools in the ______.
- a) tool house
- b) garden shed
- c) workroom
- Don’t forget to check your ______ before boarding the flight.
- a) airplane ticket
- b) boarding pass
- c) flight paper
- She put on her ______ before going for a run in the rain.
- a) raincoat
- b) water jacket
- c) storm wear
- The office needs a new ______ for important documents.
- a) paper holder
- b) filing cabinet
- c) document box
- He slipped on the ______ near the pool.
- a) wet floor
- b) slippery ground
- c) water surface
- We need to stop at the ______ to withdraw cash.
- a) money machine
- b) cash point
- c) bank window
- She opened the ______ to let in fresh air.
- a) window pane
- b) glass door
- c) air vent
2. → b) boarding pass
3. → a) raincoat
4. → b) filing cabinet
5. → a) wet floor
6. → b) cash point
7. → a) window pane
Exercise 4: Gap Fill
Fill in each blank with a compound noun from the list below:
Word Bank:
motorcycle, haircut, sunflower, mailbox, toothbrush, firefighter, breakfast, notebook, waterfall, greenhouse
- She planted a tall ______ in her backyard to brighten the garden.
- Always brush your teeth with a ______ twice a day.
- The brave ______ rescued the cat from the burning building.
- I ate scrambled eggs for ______ this morning.
- He wrote his ideas in a small ______.
- Check the ______ for today’s mail—it might be full!
- We hiked to the top of the ______ to see the rushing water.
- He got a fresh ______ before his job interview.
- Tomatoes grow best in a warm ______.
- He rode his loud ______ through the mountains.
2 → toothbrush
3 → firefighter
4 → breakfast
5 → notebook
6 → mailbox
7 → waterfall
8 → haircut
9 → greenhouse
10 → motorcycle
To master using compound nouns vocabulary, keep practicing them in your writing and speaking.
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