Compound Nouns ESL Games, Worksheets and Activities

Ask Me Anything

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Compound Nouns Activity - Vocabulary and Speaking: Gap-Fill, Asking and Answering Questions, Controlled and Freer Practice - Group and Pair Work

In this fun compound nouns speaking activity, students complete questions with one word to make closed compound nouns. Students then ask and answer the questions... read more

Compound Noun Dominoes

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Compound Nouns Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Matching, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work

In this inventive compound nouns game, students combine words together to form compound nouns and use them in sentences. The first player puts down one of their dominoes on either side of the... read more

Picture it

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Compound Nouns Game - Vocabulary: Drawing, Guessing, Forming Words - Group Work

In this entertaining compound nouns drawing game, students guess compound nouns from pictures. One student from Team A comes up to the board. Give the student a card containing two words that when... read more

Practice Makes Perfect

Intermediate (B1) 25 minutes
ESL Compound Nouns Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Labelling, Matching, Gap-fill, Writing Sentences

This productive compound nouns worksheet helps students learn and practice a variety of compound nouns and their compound elements. Students begin by looking at pictures and completing... read more

Same Same

Intermediate (B1) 30 minutes
ESL Compound Nouns Game - Vocabulary: Forming Words - Group Work

In this free compound nouns game, students race to create as many compound nouns as they can from specific words. You begin the game by picking up a card and calling out the word in bold, e.g. hair. In teams, students then race to write down as many... read more

Compound Conundrum

Upper-intermediate (B2) 30 minutes
ESL Compound Noun Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Pelmanism, Matching, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Pair Work

This imaginative compound nouns game helps students develop their vocabulary knowledge by matching words together to form compound nouns and using them in sentences. In pairs, students... read more

Nouns Modifying Nouns

Upper-intermediate (B2-C1) 30 minutes
ESL Nouns Modifying Nouns Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Identifying, Writing Definitions, Forming Collocations, Gap-fill

This comprehensive noun-noun phrases worksheet helps students learn and practice how to modify nouns with other nouns. These noun-noun collocations are sometimes called noun adjuncts or qualifying... read more

What's the Compound Noun?

Upper-intermediate (B2) 50 minutes
ESL Compound Nouns Game - Vocabulary: Forming Definitions, Guessing - Group Work

In this creative compound nouns game, students define compound nouns using certain words and guess compound nouns from another team's descriptions. First, teams look at their cards and think about how they can define each compound noun by using the words on the cards or variations of the words. Teams then take it in turns to... read more