Noun + noun 2

More work on using nouns adjectivally!

Notice the difference between:
A tea cup (a cup used for tea)
a cup of tea (a cup with tea in it)
a crisp packet (empty)
a packet of crisps (a packet containing some crisps)

When we use noun + noun the first noun is like an adjective and is normally singular, but the meaning is often plural.

• Eg a cherry tree (a tree with lots of cherries on it, or at least several – not just one cherry!)

Following this rule we say:

• A two-day holiday (not two days holiday)
• A five-hour trainride (not a five hours trainride)
• A two-pound bag of carrots (not two pounds bag)
• A four-year law degree (not four years law degree)

NB The holiday is going to be for two days
The trainride lasts five hours.…
The bag contains two pounds of carrots, and …
The law degree takes four years.

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