A compound noun consists of two or more words that act as a singular noun.

 

All compound nouns contain at least one main word, which is  the last in such combination and in most cases is a noun:

table tennis, playground, school bag, haircut, dishwasher, toothpaste, swimming pool   

 

The other word(s) in this combination may be an adjective, or preposition, or verb. They modify the main word or add to its meaning:

 

We need to go to the bus stop (noun + noun).

 

Take a look at the whiteboard (adjective + noun)

 

The historic city centre is reachable by underground (preposition + noun)

 

Compound nouns can be formed in three different ways:

 

– two words melded together to make one word

 

Jennifer needs some time to fix her makeup.

 

Michael likes playing football.

 

I need a new toothbrush for my trip.

 

– separate words next to each other

 

To receive your parcel you should contact your local post office.

 

Kids have been playing in the  swimming pool  all day long.

 

Please put the plates on the kitchen table, I will wash them later.

 

– hyphenated forms

 

This coat is not suitable for dry-cleaning.

 

All visitors are invited to the hotel reception for check-in.

 

There are two six-packs of beer in my fridge.

 

Plural forms of compound nouns are created by making the final noun plural:

 

Babysitter → Good babysitters always have reference letters from their clients.

 

Haircut → Some haircuts can make your face look thinner.

 

Cycle race → Nick took part in many cycle races.

 

Nouns in English can be abstract and concrete.

 

Abstract nouns denote things that don’t have any physical form, like events, ideas, qualities, concepts, emotions, states.

 

Examples of abstract nouns are love, hate, sympathy, honesty, freedom, truth, knowledge, progress, friendship, etc.

 

Concrete nouns denote things that have some physical form and that you can experience through your senses — sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

 

Examples of concrete nouns are book, river, air, forest, apple, noise, car, street, pen, bottle, stone, lamp, etc.     

 

Many abstract nouns can be both countable and uncountable, and usually these forms differ a bit in their meaning.

 

Consider the following examples:   

 

Countable	Uncountable
Peter acquired several useful skills on a hike.   What qualities do you need for this job? The Ministry of Culture provides support to young artists. Mary has visited Italy many times. Were there any troubles on your route? Just have a look at those beauties on the beach!	It requires skill to make a fire in the woods. This restaurant is known for it’s superb quality. The Institute develops targeted programmes for different cultures and languages. Hurry up, you don’t have much time left. Please be careful not to get in trouble. People do their best to preserve the beauty of their city.

 

Subjects and verbs (predicates) in English should always agree in their number.

 

But depending on the context, some plural nouns may have singular agreement with the verbs and vice-versa.

 

For example, pieces of art (books, songs, paintings, etc) with plural subject in their name use singular agreement:

 

Three Men in a Boat is a humorous novel written by the English writer Jerome K. Jerome in 1889.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of books by Clive Staples Lewis.

 

Some nouns ending in ‘-s’ (and thus looking plural) still have singular agreement. These are the nouns denoting academic subjects, sports and geographical names:

 

Mathematics was not my strong point at school.

 

The Netherlands is a country of tulips and bicycles.

 

Gymnastics is a spectator sport.   

 

There are many nouns in English that denote groups of people, animals, objects or ideas as single entities.

 

These nouns are known as collective nouns, they have a singular form.

 

Examples of common collective nouns are army, corporation, family, party, jury, colony, flock, pride, tribe, etc.

 

Depending on the context, collective nouns may have either singular or plural agreement.

 

If the noun describes a unit acting as a unified group, the verb must have singular form:

 

The class waits for its teacher quietly  (the class is referred to as a unit acting collectively, in unison).

 

If the noun describes a group of individuals acting on their own, the verb must have plural form:

 

The class begin their homework assignments while waiting for their teacher (students are acting as individuals – they do their own homework assignments).

 

Further examples:

 

Singular agreement	Plural agreement
My family is big and friendly.   The team is playing confidently and assertively.   The band has released a new album.	My family are going out together for the first time after three years.   The team are happy with the results of their game.   The band have been on tour to promote their new album.