''essays book'' or ''essay book''

Question

Which of the following is the correct compound noun?1: essays book2: essay book

Yankee · Accepted Answer

essay book

Jackson6612 · Answer

Yankeeessay book

Hi Amy,

What is the reason for your choice? Why couldn't it be essays book?

Yoong Liat · Answer

Jackson6612
Yankeeessay book

Hi Amy,

What is the reason for your choice? Why couldn't it be essays book?

Hi Jackson

shoe shop toy shop drink stall

Hence, essay book

I believe it is clear now why you use 'essay' and not 'essays'.

Yankee · Answer

Right.  Generally speaking, only singular nouns are used as adjectives to modify another noun.  As with most "rules", however, there are some exceptions, but unfortunately I can't think of any at the moment.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Sports car would be an exception. It's another illogical aspect of English. Who would go to a shoe store if all they had was one shoe?

Kooyeen · Answer

YankeeRight. Generally speaking, only singular nouns are used as adjectives to modify another noun. As with most "rules", however, there are some exceptions, but unfortunately I can't think of any at the moment.

Hi,
I often have trouble with that. I think it's only true for nouns that are kind of "fixed" or "accepted" in everyday English. Like shoe store: everybody knows what it is, right? It's the standard way you call that kind of thing, that kind of store.

But are you know posting in the grammar rule section or the grammar rules section? I'd say the latter, rules. You click on the options button to see what options are available, don't you? I wouldn't say option button.
I don't know the reason, I guess it's as I said, these are not "standard" common nouns used to refer to things everyone knows. They are just nouns with another noun in front, which act as a lable.

So let's try this...
You say it's essay book, not essays book. I guess it's a "standard" way to refer to that book. What if I had a book full of something else? Like suspects? The police might have one... do they say: Hey Bob, gimme the suspect book or ...gimme the suspects book? I'd say "suspects", because "suspect book" is not a common fixed word.

What do you guys think?

''essays book'' or ''essay book''

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions