Page 391 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

noun + noun (2): advanced points 386
Who's the girl in the corner? (NOT Vlh6'S the remer giFl?J - What does that road sign say?
She was showing signs of tiredness. (NOT ••• tiredness signs.)
2 containers: a matchbox; a box of matches
Noun + noun is used for particular kinds of container. a matchbox a paint tin a coffee cup
But we use the preposition structure (with oft to talk about a container together with its contents.
a box ofmatches a tin ofpaint a cup ofcoffee
3 units, selections and collections: piece, group etc
We also prefer the of-structure with words that refer to units, selections and collections, like piece, slice, lump (of sugar), bunch (of flowers), blade (of grass), pack (of cards), herd, flock, group and so on.
a piece o f paper (NOT a parJer pieee)
a bunch offlowers (NOT a jl6wer bltnch)
4 'made of': a silk dress; silken skin
Noun + noun is normally used to say what things are made of. a silk dress a stone bridge an iron rod a gold ring
In older English, the of-structure was more common in this case (e.g. a dress of silk, a bridge ofstone), and it is still used in some metaphorical expressions.
He rules his family with a rod ofiron.
The flowers were like a carpet ofgold.
A few pairs of nouns and adjectives (e.g. gold, golden) are used as modifiers with different meanings. Generally the noun simply names the material something is made of, while the adjective has a more metaphorical meaning. Compare:
a gold watch silk stockings a lead pipe a stone roof
golden memories
silken skin
a leaden sky (grey and depressing) a stony silence
But wooden and woollen just mean 'made of wood/wool'. 5 measurement: a five-litre can
Noun + noun is used in measurements, with a number before the first noun. The number is usually joined to the first noun by a hyphen (-). Note that the first noun is normally singular in form in these cases.
afive-litre can a ten-pound note (NOT afive litres eaf!, a ten PBlt/ttl!! ItBte)
a six-pound chicken a three-mile walk
a two-person tent ten two-hour lessons The number one is often left out.
a (one-)pint mug
In fractions, the plural -s is not usually dropped.
a two-thirds share (NOT a tw6 thirtl sha,e) Exception: three quarters (a three-quarter length coat)
a five-day course
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