5 Compound-Word Corrections

5 Compound-Word Corrections 5 Compound-Word Corrections 5 Compound-Word Corrections By Mark Nichol Writers sometimes confuse a two-word phrase for a closed compound noun consisting of those two words, or vice versa. Here are five cases in which a noun phrase or a verb phrase was mistaken for a compound word or the other way around. 1. â€Å"Eating McDonald’s food everyday for four weeks turned this filmmaker into a bloated, depressed wreck.† Everyday is an adjective (â€Å"It’s not an everyday occurrence†). â€Å"Every day† is a phrase consisting of an adjective and a noun (â€Å"That’s not something you see every day†). In this sentence, the usage is adjective-plus-noun: â€Å"Eating McDonald’s food every day for four weeks turned this filmmaker into a bloated, depressed wreck.† 2. â€Å"Seen as both godsend and a major let down, it remains the city’s artistic center.† â€Å"Let down,† consisting of a verb and an adverb, is employed in such sentences as â€Å"He was let down.† As a closed compound, it’s a noun: â€Å"That’s a real letdown.† In this sentence, it should be in noun form: â€Å"Seen as both godsend and a major letdown, it remains the city’s artistic center.† 3. â€Å"Resistance from the state legislature could doom the governor-elect’s promise to rollback the hike.† A rollback is a thing (â€Å"The rollback proposal failed in committee†); to roll back is to perform an action (â€Å"The state will roll back the price hike†). This sentence refers to an action, not a thing, so the compound must be changed to a verb phrase: â€Å"Resistance from the state legislature could doom the governor-elect’s promise to roll back the hike.† 4. â€Å"California gave a record $100 million loan to bailout schools.† As in the previous example, what is in context an action is styled as a noun. The sentence should read, â€Å"California gave a record $100 million loan to bail out schools.† Better yet, close the sentence with the preposition: â€Å"California gave a record $100 million loan to bail schools out.† 5. â€Å"International organizations continue their pull out as rebels attack a train.† If the sentence read that the organizations continued to pull out, the two-word verb phrase would be correct. But pulling out is an action, so it’s a pullout: â€Å"International organizations continue their pullout as rebels attack a train.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesCapitalization Rules for Names of Historical Periods and MovementsAdvance vs. Advanced