compound words

In the sentence, "My family is planning a trip to the ice cream parlor after dinner," how is the highlighted compound word categorized?

• Closed

• Open

• Hyphenated

• It is not a compound word

Answer explanation

An open compound word is made of two separate words that function as a single unit of meaning, like 'ice cream'. Closed compounds are joined (e.g., 'sunflower'), and hyphenated compounds use a hyphen (e.g., 'well-being').

The sentence "My great aunt is a very kind and generous person" contains an incorrectly formed compound word. Choose the option that shows the correct version.

• greataunt

• great-aunt

• great aunt (no change needed)

• great, aunt

Answer explanation

Compound words that describe family relationships, like 'great-aunt', are typically hyphenated to show they are a single concept. 'Greataunt' is incorrect, and 'great aunt' could imply an aunt who is great, not the specific family relationship.

Given the following list of compound words, identify the one that is a different type (closed, open, or hyphenated) from the other three.

• High school

• Post office

• Living room

• Basketball

Answer explanation

'Basketball' is a closed compound word, written as one word. 'High school', 'post office', and 'living room' are all open compound words, written as two separate words.

True or False: According to the rule that numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine should be hyphenated, the sentence "I have twenty five dollars in my wallet" is grammatically correct.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The rule states that compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine must be hyphenated. Therefore, the correct form is 'twenty-five'.

Complete the sentence with the correctly formed compound word: The coach praised the _____ player for her dedication.

• hard working

• hard-working

• hardworking

• hard, working

Answer explanation

When a compound modifier comes before a noun (like 'player'), it is usually hyphenated to show the words are working together as a single adjective. 'Hard-working' correctly modifies 'player'.

In the sentence "We need to stop at the gas station before we leave town," which of the following is the complete compound noun?

• gas

• station

• gas station

• town

Answer explanation

A compound noun is made of two or more words that act as a single noun. 'Gas station' is an open compound noun that names a specific place.

In the sentence "The bus stop is just around the corner," what is the grammatical function of the underlined compound noun?

• Subject

• Direct object

• Predicate nominative

• Object of a preposition

Answer explanation

The compound noun 'bus stop' is the subject of the sentence because it is the person, place, or thing that the sentence is about. It performs the action of the verb 'is'.

Complete the sentence with the compound noun that means "a place where you can play bowling": Let's go to the _____ this Friday night.

• swimming pool

• bowling alley

• movie theater

• tennis court

Answer explanation

A 'bowling alley' is the specific name for a place where one goes to bowl. The other options are also compound nouns but do not fit the context clue provided.

Complete the sentence with the correct plural form of the compound noun 'passer-by': The police officer interviewed several _____ who witnessed the event.

• passer-bys

• passers-by

• passers-bys

• passer-by's

Answer explanation

For hyphenated or open compound nouns, the plural is usually formed by making the most significant word plural. In 'passer-by', the significant word is 'passer', so the plural is 'passers-by'.

In the sentence "She wore a light-blue dress to the party," which word is the compound adjective?

• She

• light-blue

• dress

• party

Answer explanation

A compound adjective is a single modifier made of two or more words, often hyphenated when placed before a noun. 'Light-blue' works as one unit to describe the 'dress'.