To ask you to help with homework?

[FattyFatCakes]

DS (9) is getting his homework out of the way - it’s an online test and he selected “package” as a compound noun which is apparently incorrect.
He’s asked me to explain why and I can’t!
It’s made up of “pack” and “age” surely?
Tried google without any luck.
Please help me wise ones. Thank you

We pronounce "package" as "pa" and "kage". Neither "pa" or "kage" are words which means "package" is NOT a compound word.

"Birdseed" is a compound word since we pronounce it as "bird" and "seed".

No it’s not, it’s a noun and a verb. Just because it could be split in to two other identifiable words does not make it compound. A compound noun would have two words that relate to the thing they are describing eg Haircut. Hair that is being Cut. A Pack does not have an Age.

And surely a package isn't anything to do with age?

How about seahorse, dragonfly, fireplace, doorframe, doorbell.

@DownNative

We pronounce "package" as "pa" and "kage". Neither "pa" or "kage" are words which means "package" is NOT a compound word.

"Birdseed" is a compound word since we pronounce it as "bird" and "seed".

Everyday (made up of every and day, meaning something that occurs regularly for a lot of people)

Bloody hell. It’s so difficult (or I’m so thick!).

I had no idea pronunciation came into it but that makes sense @DownNative.

I thought a compound noun didn’t have anything to do with the original nouns eg butter + fly = butterfly

@FattyFatCakes

Bloody hell. It’s so difficult (or I’m so thick!).

I had no idea pronunciation came into it but that makes sense @DownNative.

I thought a compound noun didn’t have anything to do with the original nouns eg butter + fly = butterfly

No, it absolutely does, eg playgroup and the examples given above.

The first part of the word tells us the ‘type or purpose’ and the second part the ‘who or what’ e.g., boy-friend, police-man. Pack-age doesn’t work.

Thank you everyone. Makes sense now.
The correct answer was “post office”. I didn’t even think to look for a two word compound noun.
How humbling to be outfoxed by my 9-year-old’s homework. Was that a hyphenated compound noun?!

Also butterfly is not a complex noun. It's a complex noun made of butter and fly. If it was a compound noun it would relate to flying butter!

• not a compound noun