Noun compounds wIthout 'of'

Question

hello everybody,I had a question on compound nouns. Which is correct : 'school office staff ' or 'staff of school office'. please you explain more when we use 'of' and when we don't for compound nouns. Thank you.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Anon., there is no single rule.  You'll have to read some books or online articles.  One good book explains it this way: when two non-living things are closely associated, it's better to use noun + noun . E. g., car key.  If you say "key of the car," that is OK, but native speakers probably would not say that because it sounds too emphatic (strong).  Sometimes if a person gets angry, s/he might yell, "Give me the keys to the car!"  Also, sometimes, there's a big difference: (1) a glass of wine = there's wine in the glass now. (2) a wine glass = a glass made for serving wine. Maybe it's empty now.  And don't forget: sometimes you cannot use noun + noun.  You have to choose between "of" (the office of the manager) or 's (the manager's office). In your example, probably most native speakers would prefer "the school staff," not "the staff of the school," at least in conversation. In the United States, I doubt anyone would say either "Office of the school staff" or "The school staff's office."  They do say: the faculty lounge (the lounge for the teachers), the principal's office/ office of the principal, the custodian's office/ the office of the custodian, the teachers' cafeteria.  In the States, the word "staff" usually means everyone who works at a school.  If you are referring to the teachers, use the word "faculty" or "teaching staff."

Noun compounds wIthout 'of'

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