English has many compound nouns. Words such as ice cream and shopping centre are written as two separate words, but textbook and goldfish are written as just one word. Many compound nouns can be formed with common words. Here are examples:
backache earache headache heartache stomachache toothache
baseball basketball eyeball fishball football handball meatball snowball volleyball
blackboard cardboard keyboard scoreboard skateboard snowboard surfboard whiteboard
birdhouse boathouse doghouse greenhouse loghouse hothouse
ballroom bathroom bedroom classroom restroom showroom sunroom washroom
The examples illustrate that many compounds can be generated with the words ache, ball, board, house and room. The word heartache does not refer to physical pain but to emotional. In Canadian English, the word washroom is often used instead of bathroom. Words such as baseball, basketball and football refer not just to the sport but also the ball.
As in all Germanic languages, English has many compound nouns. Many of them consist of two nouns which combine to form one word. Words such as dining room and living room are written as two separate words, but bathroom and bedroom are written as one.
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