Revised as of
30 Jan 2023
In exploring the Word Confusions, I kept coming across a note in brackets about the word being [as modifier], so I thought I’d explore some more. God knows lexicographers and grammarians love to come up with minute categorizations for everything in the universe that has to do with the English language.
Combined forms mix it up in a variety of ways, including the noun modifier, the various types of compound words, the derivative, adding on an affix, and/or borrowed from a foreign language.
Grammar Explanations is . . .
. . . an evolving list of the structural rules and principles that determines where words are placed in phrases or sentences as well as how the language is spoken. Sometimes I run across an example that helps explain better or another “also known as”. Heck, there’s always a better way to explain it, so if it makes quicker and/or better sense, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on an area of grammar with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.
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Combining Forms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Definition: A word that is only part of a larger word (bound morpheme). While similar to an affix (a general term for infix, prefix, and suffix), a combining form creates a new word with its own meaning. Be warned, lexicographers still haven’t made a clear distinction between combined forms and affixes (Kastovsky).
There are two types of combined forms: A.k.a. combining form |
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Most Common Use of Combined Forms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Noun Modifier | Definition: One noun is used to modify another noun.
Also see noun modifier in Noun. |
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Legend:
bread roll village church national park screen door |
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Types of Combined Forms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Compound Word | Definition: A compound word can be open, hyphenated, or closed. They may be permanent or temporary, compound modifiers, or words formed with prefixes, and how they are treated can depend on whether they’re adjectives, adverbs, or nouns. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
matter-of-fact policeman Revolutionary War ax-wielding |
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Derivative | Definition: A word created using an independent word with a single, restricted meaning. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Combined with an Affix | Definition: Different from an affix because it is a part of a word that combines with an affix, as one cannot create a word by combining affixes, i.e., there is no such word combining pro- + -ic. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Borrowed From Another Language | Definition: An independent or combined-form word borrowed from another language. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Grammar Explanations by exploring its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Word Confusions, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Combined Form
“Combining Form.” Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. n.d. <https://www.dictionary.com/browse/combining-form>.
Kastovsky, Dieter. “Astronaut, Astrology, Astrophysics: About Combining Forms, Classical Compounds and Affixoids.” Selected Proceedings of the 2008 Symposium on New Approaches in English Historical Lexis (HEL-LEX 2). Vienna University.. 2009. <http://www.lingref.com/cpp/hel-lex/2008/paper2161.pdf” target=”_blank” title=”Opens a new page”>http://www.lingref.com/cpp/hel-lex/2008/paper2161.pdf>>. Online PDF
“Noun Modifiers.” Learn English. British Council. n.d. Web. 30 Jan 2023. <https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/noun-modifiers>.
Sculpture in Wynn Gardens, Old Colwyn, by Eirian Evans is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.