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Compound Nouns Quiz (Level A2-B1) - Grammar Practice

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: A2, B1 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +15 (on pass)

Review Compound Nouns with 15 practice exercises at Level A2-B1. Each question comes with a detailed explanation to reinforce what you already know and fill in any gaps. Add this to your daily study routine — just 7 minutes to stay sharp.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: A place where you can play outside is called a ___.

Question 1 options
'Playground' is correct because it is a closed compound noun formed by joining 'play' and 'ground' into one word. 'Play ground' (two words) and 'play-ground' (hyphenated) are incorrect spellings for this word. 'Playzone' is not a standard compound noun.
Q2 15

Question 2: I go to the ___ every morning to catch my train.

Question 2 options
'Train station' is correct because it is an open compound noun made of two separate words that together name one place. 'Trainstation' (closed) and 'train-station' (hyphenated) are not standard spellings. 'Stationtrain' reverses the word order and is not a compound noun.
Q3 15

Question 3: A compound noun is always written as one single word with no spaces or hyphens.

Question 3 options
False because compound nouns can be written in three ways: as one closed word (e.g., 'notebook'), with a hyphen (e.g., 'father-in-law'), or as two separate open words (e.g., 'ice cream'). There is no single rule that all compound nouns must be written as one word.
Q4 15

Question 4: Why do we use the compound noun 'swimming pool' instead of just 'pool'?

Question 4 options
'Swimming pool' is correct because compound nouns combine two words to create a more specific meaning — 'swimming pool' tells us exactly what kind of pool it is. A compound noun names one specific idea or thing more precisely than a single word can.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • left
  • her notebook
  • on the desk
  • She

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'She left her notebook on the desk' because 'notebook' is a closed compound noun functioning as the direct object, followed by the fixed prepositional phrase 'on the desk'.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence uses a compound noun correctly?

Question 6 options
'The postman delivered a package this morning' is correct because 'postman' is a properly formed closed compound noun (noun + noun). 'Post man' is incorrectly split into two words. 'Post-man' uses an unnecessary hyphen. 'Manpost' reverses the word order.
Q7 15

Question 7: Customer: 'Excuse me, where can I find cold drinks?' Shop assistant: 'They are in the ___ section, on the left.'

Question 7 options
'Soft drinks' is correct because it is an open compound noun that names a specific category of cold, non-alcoholic beverages. 'Softdrinks' is not a standard closed compound noun. 'Soft-drinks' uses an unnecessary hyphen for this noun when used alone. 'Drinks soft' reverses the natural word order of the compound noun.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses an open compound noun rather than a closed compound noun?

Question 8 options
'We sat by the fire place and talked all night' is incorrect because 'fireplace' is a closed compound noun. 'The post office was closed on Sunday' correctly uses 'post office' as an open compound noun written as two separate words. 'The notebook is on the table' uses a closed compound noun correctly but does not show an open form. 'She wore a raincoat in the storm' also uses a closed compound noun.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • a birthday cake
  • baked
  • My mother-in-law
  • for the party

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'My mother-in-law baked a birthday cake' because 'mother-in-law' is a hyphenated compound noun used as the subject, and 'birthday cake' is an open compound noun used as the object.
Q10 15

Question 10: He works at a ___ near the city centre, helping people with health problems.

Question 10 options
'Health centre' is correct because it is an open compound noun (adjective + noun) that names a specific type of place. 'Healthcentre' is not a standard closed compound noun. 'Health-centre' uses a hyphen that is not standard for this noun. 'Centre health' reverses the correct word order of the compound noun.
Q11 15

Question 11: Which statement about how compound nouns are formed is true?

Question 11 options
'A compound noun can be formed by combining a verb and a noun, such as washing machine' is true. Compound nouns are not limited to noun + noun combinations — they can also be formed with adjective + noun, verb + noun, and other patterns. They do not have to be hyphenated, and the first word is not always an adjective.
Q12 15

Question 12: Change 'toothbrush' to its plural form. She bought three ___ at the supermarket.

Question 12 options
'Toothbrushes' is correct because closed compound nouns that end in a base noun are pluralised at the end of the whole word. 'Teethbrush' incorrectly pluralises the first element. 'Toothsbrush' adds the plural marker in the wrong position. 'Toothbrushs' uses an incorrect plural ending for words ending in '-sh'.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each compound noun example to its correct formation type.

Question 13 options
breakfast
father-in-law
ice cream
blackboard
Hyphenated compound noun
Closed compound noun (adjective + noun)
Open compound noun (two separate words)
Closed compound noun (noun + noun)

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Compound nouns are classified by how they are written: closed (one word), hyphenated (joined by hyphens), or open (two separate words), and also by which word classes are combined to form them.
Q14 15

Question 14: When pluralising a hyphenated compound noun like 'sister-in-law', you add '-s' to the end of the last word, making it 'sister-in-laws'.

Question 14 options
False because in hyphenated compound nouns with a main noun as the principal word, you pluralise the principal noun, not the last element. The correct plural of 'sister-in-law' is 'sisters-in-law', not 'sister-in-laws'.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which sentence uses 'greenhouse' in a way that shows it is a compound noun with a specific meaning different from 'green house'?

Question 15 options
'The farmer grows tomatoes in the greenhouse all year' correctly uses 'greenhouse' as a closed compound noun meaning a glass building for growing plants — a meaning distinct from a house that is green. A 'green house' would simply describe the colour of a house, not this specific structure.