Without the hyphen we lose the idea of a compound:
Breakfast: e.g. Healthy breakfasts (for people who hate breakfast).
Cupboard: /ˈkʌbəd/ (pl. cupboards).
Railway: pl. railways. E.g. Her father worked on the railways.
Bookcase: pl. bookcases. A piece of furniture with shelves for keeping books on.
Suitcase: pl. suitcases.
Toothbrush: pl. toothbrushes
With a hyphen we are more conscious that it is a compound:
Get-together: e.g. Most of the students were more interested in social get-togethers than going to lectures. At Christmas everyone has many family get-togethers.
Compounds formed by verbs or adjectives + preposition take the plural -s at the end.
Close-up: e.g. close-ups of human eyes.
Grown-up: e.g. If you're good you can eat with the grown-ups.
lay-by: an area at the side of a road where vehicles may stop for a short time. E.g. He pulled into the lay-by and got out to see what was wrong with the car. A list of service areas and lay-bys.
pullover: pl. pullovers.
standby: (pl. standbys) a person or thing that can always be used if needed, for example if somebody/something else is not available or if there is an emergency. E.g. More police officers were sent as standbys. A standby electricity generator
sit-in: (pl. sit-ins) a protest in which a group of workers, students, etc. refuse to leave their factory, college, etc. until people listen to their demands. E.g. This was a time of rallies, demonstrations, sit-ins, walkouts, and protests of every kind, and the music reflected the spirit of the time.
walkout: (pl. walkouts)
- a sudden strike by workers 200 employees staged a walkout in protest at the new pay deal.
- the act of suddenly leaving a meeting as a protest against something
Take-off: e.g. Owing to the fog, there were no take-offs from the airport yesterday.
Tip-off: secret information that somebody gives, for example to the police, to warn them about an illegal activity that is going to happen. E.g. He was arrested after a tip-off to police. Criminals are the only ones who hate people who provide tip-offs to the police
tip somebody off (about something) (informal) to warn somebody about something that is going to happen, especially something illegal. E.g. Three men were arrested after police were tipped off about the raid. Tip somebody off that… They were tipped off that he might be living in Wales.
lookout: a person who has the responsibility of watching for something, especially danger, etc. E.g. they acted as lookouts at the post office.
In compounds whose first element is man or woman indicating sex, both elements normally become plural:
manservant: (pl. menservants) a male servant, especially a man’s personal servant.
manfriend: (pl. menfriends) A male friend or a male romantic partner.
man student: pl. men students
woman driver: pl. women drivers.
woman doctor: pl. women doctors.
If instead of women we use lady, boy or girl, we do not add an -s because it would seem a genitive:
lady doctor: pl. lady doctors
lady driver: pl. lady drivers
boyfriend: pl. boyfriends
girlfriend: pl. girlfriends
In compounds whose first element is man or woman not indicating sex, the first element is always singular:
manhole: (pl. manholes) a hole in the street that is covered with a lid, used when somebody needs to go down to examine the pipes or sewers below the street.
man-hater: (pl. man-haters)
woman-hater: (pl. woman-haters)
man-hunter: (pl. man-hunters) someone who intensively searches for any person, especially a criminal.
manrope: (pl. manropes) a rope serving as a handrail, especially when boarding a ship.
Compounds consisting of count noun + preposition take the plural on the noun element:
looker-on: someone who watches something that is happening in a public place but is not involved in it. Sp. espectador. E.g. At every gathering for dances, sports, or games of any kind there are more lookers-on than participants.
onlooker: a person who watches something that is happening in a public place but is not involved in it. Bystander (pl. bystanders) Sp. espectador, testigo. E.g. A crowd of curious onlookers soon gathered to see what was happening. A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash.
passer-by: (pl. passers-by) a person who is going past somebody/something by chance, especially when something unexpected happens. E.g. Police asked passers-by if they had seen the accident.
brother-in-law: (pl. brothers-in-law)
grant-in-aid: (pl. grants-in-aid) a sum of money given to a local government or an institution, or to a particular person to allow them to study something. E.g. I was awarded a grant-in-aid to conduct my research. The university provided grants-in-aid to some students.
man-of-war: (pl. men-of-war) a sailing ship used in the past for fighting.
goings-on: activities or events that are strange, surprising or dishonest. Sp. tejemanejes. E.g.There were some strange goings-on next door last night.
The few compounds, typical of legal English, on the pattern count noun + adjective take the plural -s on the noun:
attorney general: /əˌtɜːni ˈdʒenrəl/ pl. attorneys general. The most senior legal officer in some countries who advises the government or head of state on legal matters. Sp. fiscal general.
court-martial: pl. courts-martial. A military court that deals with members of the armed forces who break military law; a trial at such a court. Sp. tribunal militar, consejo de guerra. E.g. He was convicted at a court martial. All the men now face court martial.
notary public: pl. notaries public (also notary) a person, especially a lawyer, with official authority to be a witness when somebody signs a document and to make this document valid in law.
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