Closed
Open
Hyphenated
Sentence builders
Mixed bag
100

Break apart the word “notebook.” What two words form it?

Note + Book

100

What open compound means a place where people live?

Living room / real estate

100

Fill in the hyphen: “mother ____ in ____ law.”
 

 Mother-in-law

100

Use “railroad” in a sentence.
 

“The railroad connects Kingston to Montego Bay.”

100

Classify: “sunflower.”
 

Closed compound

200

Which closed compound word means “the meal you eat in the morning”?

Breakfast

200

Write a short sentence using TWO open compounds.
 

“We saw the full moon while eating ice cream.

200

What is the hyphenated compound word for a very famous event?
 

 Record-breaking

200

Use “real estate” in a sentence about money or business.
 

 “My aunt sells real estate to make a living.”

200

Classify: “hot dog.”

Open compound

300

Give three examples of closed compound words related to transportation.

Railroad, highway, airport, postbox  

300

Explain why “full moon” is an open compound and not a phrase with an adjective and a noun.
 


Answer: Because together the two words make one idea  

300

Give two hyphenated compound words that describe people’s qualities.
 

 Good-hearted, hard-working, open-minded

300

Use “good-hearted” in a sentence about someone you know.
 

 “My good-hearted teacher helped me after class.”

300

Classify: “mother-in-law.”

Hyphenated compound

400

Which of these is NOT a closed compound: “sunflower, classroom, living room, textbook”? Explain why.

Living room — it is an open compound because it is written as two words.

400

Which of these is an open compound: “classroom, hot dog, bookshelf”?
 


Answer: Hot dog

400

Correct this sentence: “The long term-plan will help us succeed.”
 

 Long-term plan (hyphen needed before noun).

400

Write a sentence that uses BOTH an open compound and a hyphenated compound.
 

“The record-breaking athlete trained under the full moon.”

400

Which of these is NOT a compound word: “football, classroom, banana, ice cream”?
 

Banana — it is a single root word, not a compound.

500

Why do closed compound words often become one word over time instead of staying open compounds?

Frequent use makes the two words fuse into one word for easier reading and writing.

500

Which open compound names a kind of food made from ice and cream?
 

 Ice cream

500

Why are hyphens important in compounds like “man-eating shark”?
 

 Without the hyphen, it could be misunderstood (a “man eating shark” could mean a man is eating shark meat; “man-eating shark” means the shark eats people).

500

Write a paragraph (3 sentences) using one closed, one open, and one hyphenated compound word.
 

Example: “I bought a notebook for class. At night, I studied under the full moon. My hard-working brother helped me.”

500

Compare these: “blackboard” and “black board.” How are they different in meaning?

Answer: Blackboard (closed compound) = chalkboard. Black board (separate words) = any board that is black.

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