Learn 36 compound words to expand your vocabulary

Espresso English Podcast

Today I'm sending you a special class all about compound words! Compound words are when two or more words are put together to form a new word with a new meaning - like notebook, mother-in-law, and post office. Sometimes compound words are easy to understand: a bookstore is a store that sells books; a dishwasher is a machine that washes dishes. But others might not be so obvious, for example:

• brainstorm – an intense process where you think of many different ideas
• scapegoat – someone who bears the blame for others

In this lesson, you'll learn the meanings of 36 compound words in English.

If you’d like to continue improving your vocabulary, you’ll really enjoy the Vocabulary Builder Courses at Espresso English. Level 1 of the course focuses on essential everyday words for things in daily life, work, study, travel, describing people, describing the world, etc. Level 2 of the course goes deeper into these subjects and also has lessons on more advanced topics like binomials, metaphors, word roots, and prefixes and suffixes. You'll learn more than 1,000 words in each level of the Vocabulary Builder!