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English 1b3 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Compound noun + noun

Can we add any noun we want to another noun or compound noun?

I read, for example:

When the politicians got soft, the bleeding hearts got vocal and the political correctness madness started running the country.

Thanks
  

Top answer

English 1b3 Can we add any noun we want to another noun or compound noun? You ask a very general question! Of course you can add anything to anything but the result will often be something no one uses or even understands.

  • English 1b3 Can we add any noun we want to another noun or compound noun?
  • You ask a very general question!
  • Of course you can add anything to anything but the result will often be something no one uses or even understands.
  • CB
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3 Answers
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English 1b3Can we add any noun we want to another noun or compound noun?
You ask a very general question! Of course you can add anything to anything but the result will often be something no one uses or even understands.

CB
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Is the above example OK then/makes sense to you? How do we know when we can and cannot add a noun to a noun?
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English 1b3How do we know when we can and cannot add a noun to a noun?
LOL! We know that as soon as we know English!

But seriously, and obviously, you have to compound nouns in such a way that each preceding noun in some sensible way restricts or specifies the meaning of the next. Just any old string of nouns will not do.

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