UNIT 80. Noun + noun ( a tennis ball/ a headache) ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

UNIT 80. Noun + noun ( a tennis ball/ a headache)

A	You can use two nouns together (noun+ noun) to mean one thing/person/idea etc. For example: a tennis ball income tax the city centre The first noun is like an adjective. It tells us what kind of thing/person/idea etc. For example: a tennis ball= a ball used to play tennis a bus driver= the driver of a bus a road accident= an accident that happens on the road income tax= tax that you pay on your income the city centre= the centre of the city a Paris hotel= a hotel in Paris my life story = the story of my life So you can say: a television camera a television programme a television studio a television producer (these are all different things or people to do with television) language problems marriage problems health problems work problems (these are all different kinds of problems) Compare: √ garden vegetables (=vegetables that are grown in a garden) a vegetable garden(= a garden where vegetables are grown) √ Sometimes the first word ends in -ing. Usually these are things we use for doing something: a frying pan (=a pan for frying) a washing machine a swimming pool Sometimes there are more than two nouns together: √ I waited at the hotel reception desk. We watched the World Swimming Championships on television. If you want to play table tennis (=a game), you need a table tennis table (=a table). √ √
B	When two nouns are together like this, sometimes we write them as one word and sometimes as two separate words. For example: a headache toothpaste a weekend a car park a road sign There are no clear rules for this. If you are not sure, write two words.
C	Note the difference between: √ a sugar bowl (maybe empty) and a bowl of sugar(= a bowl with sugar in it) a shopping bag (maybe empty) and a bag of shopping(= a bag full of shopping) √
D	When we use noun+ noun, the first noun is like an adjective. It is normally singular, but the meaning is often plural. For example: a bookshop is a shop where you can buy books, an apple tree is a tree that has apples. In the same way we say: √ a three-hour journey (= a journey that takes three hours) a ten-pound note (not pounds) a four-week course (not weeks) a six-mile walk (not miles) two 14-year-old girls (not years) √ √ √ √ Compare: √ but It was a four-week course. The course lasted four weeks.

EXERCISES

80.1	What do we call these things and people? 1 A ticket for a concert is ___ a concert ticket ____ 2 Problems concerning health are ___ health problems___ 3 An interview for a job is Pictures taken on your holiday are your Chocolate made with milk is ___________________ 4 ___________________ 5 ___________________ 6 Somebody whose job is to inspect factories is A horse that runs in races is A race for horses is Shoes for running are A student studying at university is ___________________ 7 ___________________ 8 ___________________ 9 ___________________ 10 ___________________ 11 The results of your exams are your The carpet in the living room is A scandal involving an oil company is Workers at a car factory are A scheme for the improvement of a road is ___________________ 12 ___________________ 13 ___________________ 14 ___________________ 15 ___________________ 16 A department store in New York is A course that lasts five days is A question that has two parts is A man who is thirty years old is ___________________ 17 ___________________ 18 ___________________ 19 ___________________
80.2	Answer the questions using two of the following words each time: accident belt birthday card credit driver editor forecast newspaper number party road room seat shop truck weather window 1 This can be caused by bad driving. You should wear this when you're in a car. You can use this to pay for things instead of cash. If you want to know if it's going to rain, this is what you need. This person is a top journalist. ___ a road accident ____ 2 a __________________ 3 a __________________ 4 the __________________ 5 a __________________ 6 You might stop to look in this when you're walking along a street. If you're staying at a hotel, you need to remember this. This is a way to celebrate getting older. This person transports things by road a __________________ 7 your __________________ 8 a __________________ 9 a __________________
80.3	Which is correct? 1 It's quite a long book. There are 450 page /450 pages. (450 pages is correct) I didn't have any change. I only had a twenty-pound /twenty pounds note. I looked down and there were two ten-pound /ten pounds notes on the ground. At work in the morning I usually have a 15-minute /15 minutes break for coffee. There are 60-minute /60 minutes in an hour. 2 3 4 5 6 It's only a two-hour /two hours flight from London to Madrid. My office is on the tenth floor of a twelve-storey /twelve storeys building. I work five-day /five days a week. Saturday and Sunday are free. Five-star /Five stars hotels are the most expensive. Sam's daughter is six-year-old /six years old. 7 8 9 10 11 The oldest building in the city is the 500-year-old /500 years old castle. Do you use the twelve-hour /twelve hours clock or the 24-hour /24 hours clock? 12

ANSWER KEY