DAY 1

COMPOUND WORDS

Compound words are formed when two or more words are put together to form a new
word with a new meaning. They can function as different parts of speech, which can
dictate what form the compound takes on. For example, the word carry over is an open
compound word when it’s used as a verb but it is closed when used as a noun and an a
adjective.

THE THREE TYPES OF COMPOUND WORDS

Closed compound words are formed when two unique words are joined together. They
don’t have a space between them and they are the type that generally comes to mind
when we think of compound words. For example:

Cannot Baseball
Fireworks Grandmother
Elsewhere Upside
Together Sunflower
Crosswalk Become
Basketball Moonlight
Football Railroad
Anybody Weatherman
Skateboard Earthquake
Everything Sometimes
Schoolhouse Upstream
Fireflies Grasshopper
Inside Playthings

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

Circle the closed compound words below.

I love the fireworks on the fourth of July.
Make sure you hold hands when you come to the crosswalk.
The ocean was bathed in moonlight.
Did you hear amount the terrible earthquake?
The fireflies buzzed in the night sky.

ENHANCE YOUR SKILLS!

Shaping Compound Words

Part 1. Making Compound Words A compound word is made from two smaller words. bath + robe
= bathrobe cow + boy = cowboy Directions:

Put the two smaller words together to make a compound word.

1. ice + berg = ______________________

2. milk + shake = ______________________
3. new + born = ______________________
4. earth + worm = ______________________
5. grand + mother = ______________________

Part 2. Read the sentences and find the compound words. After that, break the word down into the
two parts that form it.

1. I found a pretty seashell while I was walking on the beach.

________________ = ___________________ + ________________

2. My father wears a necktie when he goes to work.

________________ = ___________________ + ________________
3. A greyhound is a kind of dog that can run very fast.
________________ = ___________________ + ________________

4. We always take the freeway to get to the art museum.

________________ = ___________________ + ________________
5. Max was homesick the first time he went away to summer camp.
________________ = ___________________ + ________________

6. My mother likes to wear lipstick when she gets dressed up.

________________ = ___________________ + ________________

7. Long hair covers the face and eyes of an Old English Sheepdog.
________________ = ___________________ + _______________

APPLY YOUR SKILLS

Directions: Write a sentence for each compound word. Use the sentences in the previous exercise as
your reference.
1. Seashell
____________________________________________________________________________________.

2. Necktie
____________________________________________________________________________________.

3. Greyhound
____________________________________________________________________________________.

4. Homesick
____________________________________________________________________________________.

5. Freeway
____________________________________________________________________________________.

Challenge!
Make the Best Compound Word

Directions: Combine the word on the left with another word in the list to make a compound word.
Then, give the definition of the compound word.
example: space + ship land board ship compound word: spaceship definition: a vehicle that can travel into
space

1. bare + __________ leg foot ly

compound word: _________________________________________________
definition: _______________________________________________________
2. dish + __________ cloth ful plate
compound word: _________________________________________________
definition: _______________________________________________________
3. bull + __________ frog cow et
compound word: _________________________________________________
definition: _______________________________________________________
4. hail + __________ storm ice freeze
compound word: _________________________________________________
definition: _______________________________________________________
5. race + __________ speed horse contest
compound word: _________________________________________________
definition: _______________________________________________________

DAY 2
2. Open compound words have a space between the words but when they are read together a
new meaning is formed:

Ice cream Grand jury

Cave in Post office
Real estate Middle class
Full moon Attorney general
Half sister

 What have you learned?

Circle the Open compound words below.

Ice cream is my favorite dessert.

The line at the post office snaked all the way out the door and around the corner.

Rhonda is my half-sister.
There must be a full moon out tonight.

3. Hyphenated compound words are connected by a hyphen. To avoid confusion, modifying

compounds are often hyphenated, especially when they precede a noun such as in the case of
part-time teacher, high-speed chase, and fifty-yard dash. When they come after the noun, they
are open compounds: a chase that is high speed, a teacher that is part time, etc. Comparative and
superlative adjectives are hyphenated when they are compounded with other modifiers: the
highest-priced computer, the lower-priced car. Adverbs that end in –ly and compounded with
another modifier are not modified: a highly rated restaurant, a publicly held meeting.

Here are more examples of hyphenated compound words.

One-half Mother-in-law
Eighty-six One-third
Merry-go-round Well-being
Mass-produced Over-the-counter
Daughter-in-law
 WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

Circle the Hyphenated compound words below.

My mother-in-law is coming for a visit.

The merry-go-round at the carnival thrilled Ella.
Some over-the-counter drugs can have serious side effects.

Unit Test

DIRECTIONS: Read each compound word and choose the best definition.

1. What is a necktie?
a. a neck that goes around your tie
b. a tie on your shoe
c. a tie that goes around your neck

2. What is popcorn?
a. corn that goes with pop
b. corn that is popped
c. pop that goes with corn

3. What is a fishhook?
a. a fish for catching hooks
b. a hook for catching fish
c. a hook for hanging up clothes

4. What is a birdhouse?
a. a bird for a house
b. a house for a bird
c. a house for a dog

5. What is moonlight?
a. light from the moon
b. light from the sun
c. moon from the light
DIRECTIONS: Use context clues to determine the meaning of the compound word.

6. There was a beautiful yellow buttercup growing in the middle of the

green field.

What is a buttercup?
a. a cup
b. a flower
c. butter

7. Dad needed to withdraw money from the bank.

What does withdraw mean?

a. draw with someone
b. give
c. take

8. She is an upstanding citizen, always doing what is right.

What does upstanding mean?

a. happy
b. honest
c. stand up

DIRECTIONS: Write a paragraph using 5 or more compound words.

9.

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

________
10.

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

________