For example, hand is a noun referring to a part of the body and shake is a verb that means to move something back and forth quickly. Typically, a compound noun has a distinct meaning that is different from the words used to form it. Compound nounsĪs we said earlier, compound nouns are simply nouns formed from two or more words. For example, the word choir is a singular noun that refers to a group of singers, which means it is a collective noun.īefore we look at the differences between these two types of nouns, let’s explore each in a bit more detail. For example, the nouns rainfall ( rain + fall), poison ivy ( poison + ivy), and court-martial ( court + martial) are all compound nouns.Ī collective noun is a noun that appears singular in formal shape but denotes a group of persons or objects. Putting it another way, a compound noun is formed from two or more individual words. What is so special about these kinds of nouns and what makes them different from each other? It is time to learn more about these two special kinds of nouns so you can expand your grammar knowledge.Ī compound noun is a noun consisting of two or more parts that are also bases.

In these four examples, we have used two different common types of nouns known as compound nouns and collective nouns.

We can use nouns to refer to a wide variety of people and things such as a pillow fight, a campground, a colony of ants, or a group of friends. Nouns are very common and useful words that we use to refer to all of the people that we meet, places that we go to, and things that we find.

What is compound noun