Avançado 9. NOUN + NOUN (Part 2)

 When nouns are together like this, sometimes we write them as one word and sometimes as two separate words. For example:

A headache, toothpaste, a weekend, a stomach ache, table tennis.

There are no clear rules for this. If you are not sure, it is usually better to write two words. You can often put a hyphen (-) between the two words (but this is not usually necessary).

For example: a dinning-room, the city-center.

Note the difference between:

a) A wine glass (perhaps empty) and a glass of wine (= a glass with wine in it).

b) A shopping bag (perhaps empty) and a bag of shopping (= a bag full of shopping).

When we use NOUN + NOUN, the first noun is like an adjective. It is normally singular but the meaning is often plural. For example, a bookshop is a shop where you can buy books, an apple tree is a tree that has apples.

In the same way we say:

A three-hour journey (not 'a three-hours journey')

A ten-pound note (not 'pounds')

A four-week English course (not 'weeks')

Two 14-year-old girls (not 'years')

A three-page letter (not 'pages')

So we say:

It was a three-hour journey. But, 'the journey took three hours.'

Exercise:

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

1) A ticket for a concert is …

2) A magazine about computers is …

3) Photographs taken on your holiday are your …

4) Chocolate made with milk is …

5) Somebody whose job is to inspect factories is …

6) A hotel in central London is …

7) The results on your examinations are your …

8) The carpet in the dining room is …

9) A scandal involving a football club is …

10) A question that has two parts is …

Categoria Aulas Online (Avançado)