Compound words, blends and phrasal words are formed through combining two free forms. What are the differences and similarities between them?

COMPOUND WORDS

COMPOUND WORDS

formed by putting two or more words together it results an invention of a new meaning can function as different part of speech example : “carry over”• This surplus will carry over to next season.

• The extra supplies were part of the carryover from the budget.

verb, open compound word

noun, closed compound word

3 types of compound words :

closed compound words open compound words hyphenated compound words

CLOSED COMPOUND WORDS

formed when two unique words are joined together do not have a space between them

examples:• 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.

others examples: football ; anybody ; everything ; inside ; upside ; railroad etc.

OPEN COMPOUND WORDS

have a space between the words a new meaning is formed when they are read together

examples :• Ice cream is my favorite dessert.• There must be a full moon out tonight.• The line at the post office snaked all the way out the door and around the corner.

others examples : middle class ; cave in ; real estate ; half sister etc.

HYPHENATED COMPOUND WORDS

connected by a hyphen

examples :• My mother-in-law is coming for a visit.• Some over-the-counter drugs can have serious side effects.

others examples : one-half ; merry-go-round ; well-being etc.

PHRASAL WORDS

PHRASAL WORDS

mainly used in spoken English and informal texts consists of a verb plus a particle ( preposition or adverb ) the particle can change the meaning of the verb completely

examples :• look up – consult a reference book (look a word up in a dictionary )• look for – seek ( look for her ring )• look forward – anticipate with pleasure ( look forward to meeting someone )

Examples :

• ask around• break down• break into • call on • catch up• check in• blow up • come apart

• cut down• drop back• figure out• get on• get together• give away• go ahead • hang out

POSITION OF PARTICLE

the particle is placed either after the verbs or after the object

examples :• write down the word.• write the word down.

if the object is pronoun, however, the particle has to be placed after the pronoun (object)

example : write it down.

pronoun

BLENDS

BLENDS

parts of two or more words combine to create a new word meaning is often a combination of the original words also known as portmanteau word

3 Types of Blends :

Blends with overlapping

Blends with clipping

Blends with overlapping and clipping

BLENDS WITH OVERLAPPING

shortening of the words

• slang + language slanguage• cartoon + tune cartune “ musical cartoon ”• insinuation + sin in-'sin-uation “ insinuation of sin ”

BLENDS WITH CLIPPING

no overlapping one part or more is omitted

• fan + magazine fanzine• Europe + Asia Eurasia• breakfast + lunch brunch• agitation + propaganda agitprop

BLENDS WITH OVERLAPPING AND CLIPPING

created by using both overlapping and clipping

• motor + hotel motel• Hungarian + American Hungarican

SIMILARITIES

SIMILARITIES

composed of two free forms

a new meaning is formed

DIFFERENCES

DIFFERENCES

1. Structural

Compound Words Blends Phrasal Words

May be single words, hyphenated or separate words

Usually combined as one word (rare occasions with a: • space eg : docu drama• hyphen eg : egg-cellent )

Often separated word with space. No hyphen.

2. Ways of forming Compound Words Blends Phrasal Words

Combination of two/more lexical categories.

Action abridging and combination of various lexemes.

Combination of a verb with a particle ( Preposition or Adverb)

Only draws upon complete words.Cannot combine with a bound form.

Not only words, can also come from non words.1 Draw upon affixes Eg. Demote2 Blend splinters with neo-classical combining forms Eg. Aquarobics

Only draws upon complete words.

2. Ways of forming

Compound Words Blends Phrasal Words

Compound verbs:VV, NV, AV, PVCompound adjectives:NA, AA, PACompound nouns:VN, NN, AN, PN

Most of the blending words are noun, such as:Breakfast+ lunch=brunch (n+n=n)Slang+ language=slanguage (n+n=n)

Verb + Preposition Verb + Adverb

3. Meaning

Compound Words Blends Phrasal Words

• Little need of definition.

• Explaining themselves in much greater detail.

• Endocentric compounds which the meaning is predictable

• Exocentric compounds which the meaning is unpredictable.

• The meaning is predictable from the component.

• Usually words which used in various terminologies.

• eg : prostate+ robot probot

• The particle change the meaning of the verb completely.

• It is flexible as the changes of the meaning are depended on the particles, which are preposition or adverb.

References:

1. Fromkin, V., Rodman, R. and Hyams, N. (2011). An introduction to language (Int 9th ed.). Canada: Wadsworth Cengage Learning

2. Carstairs-McCarthy, A. (2002). An introduction to English morphology: Words and their structure. Edinburgh University Press.