We often use two nouns together (noun + noun) to mean one thing/person/idea etc. For example: a tennis ball a bank manager a road accident income tax the city centre
The first noun is like an adjective--it tells us what kind of thing/person/idea etc. For example:
a tennis ball = a ball used to play tennis
a road accident = an accident that happens on the road
income tax = tax that you pay on your income
the sea temperature = the temperature of the sea
a London doctor = a doctor from London
So you can say:
a television camera a television programme a television studio a television producer
(all different things or people to do with television)
language problems marriage problems health problems work problems (all different kinds of problems)
Compare:
garden vegetables (= vegetables that are grown in a garden)
a vegetable garden (= a garden where vegetables are grown)
Often the first word ends in ~ing. Usually these are things used for doing something. For example:
a washing machine a frying pan a swimming pool the dining room
Sometimes there are more than two nouns together:
* I waited at the hotel reception desk. (= a desk)
* We watched the World Swimming Championships on television.
* If you want to play table tennis (= a game), you need a table tennis table (= a table).
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): a dining-room the city-centre
Note the difference between:
a wine glass (perhaps empty) and a glass of wine (= a glass with wine in it)
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') two 14-year-old girls (not 'years')
a four-week English course (not 'weeks') a three-page letter (not 'pages')
So we say:
* It was a three-hour journey. but The journey took three hours.
EXERCISES
79.1 What do we call these things and people? Use the structure noun + noun.
1. A ticket for a concert is _a concert ticket!_
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 of 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 ---.
11. A girl who is seven years old is ---.
79.2 Write the correct word for each picture. Each word has two parts and these are given above the pictures. In that, you must decide whether the word is boathouse or houseboat.
boat/house
horse/race
card/phone
79.3 Answer the questions using two of the following words each time:
accident belt card credit editor forecast number road room seat shop weather window
1. This can be caused by bad driving. _A road accident_
2. If you're staying at a hotel, you need to remember this. Your ---
3. You should wear this when you're in a car. A ---
4. You can sometimes use this to pay for things instead of cash. A ---
5. If you want to know if it's going to rain, you can read or listen to this. The ---
6. This person is a top journalist. A ---
7. You might stop to look in this when you're walking along a street. A ---
79.4 Complete the sentences using one of the following:
15 minute(s) 60 minute(s) two hour(s) five day(s) two year(s) 500 year(s) six mile(s) 20 pound(s) five course(s) ten page(s) 450 page(s)
Sometimes you need the singular (day/page etc.) and sometimes the plural(days/pages etc.)
1. It's quite a long book. There are _450 pages._
2. A few days ago I received a _ten-page_ letter from Julia.
3. I didn't have any change. I only had a --- note.
4. At work in the morning I usually have a --- break for coffee.
5. There are --- in an hour.
6. It's only a --- flight from London to Madrid.
7. It was a big meal. There were ---
8. Mary has just started a new job. She's got a --- contract.
9. The oldest building in the city is the --- old castle.
10. I work --- a week. Saturday and Sunday are free.
11. We went for a --- walk in the country.
79.1
2 a computer magazine
3 holiday photographs
4 milk chocolate
5 a factory inspector
6 a central London hotel
7 examination results
8 the dinig room carpet
9 a football club scandal
10 a two-part question
11 a seven-year-old girl
79.2
1 a. a houseboat
b. a boathouse
2 a. a race horse
b. a horse race
3 a. a cardphone
b. a phonecard
79.3
2 room number
3 seat belt
4 credit card
5 weather forecast
6 newpaper editor
7 shop window
79.4
3 20-pound
4 15-minute
5 60 minutes
6 two-hour
7 five courses
8 two-year
9 500-year
10 five days
11 six-mile
