合成名词构造法主要有下列八种: ①名词+名词,如 daybreak, sunrise, cattleshed, house-keeper, shoe-maker, headache, night-club, pocket-knife, arm-chair, wine-glass, ink-stand, man-servant, maid-servant, steamboat, goldsmith, newspaper, lawsuit等。 ②形容词+名词,如 blackboard, commonweath, highway, stronghold, sweetheart, easy-chair, grandson, blueprint, deadline, high-brow, lazy-bones等。 ③动词+名词,如 drawbridge, grindstone, playground, pickpocket, breakfast, cut-throat, makeshift, sing-song, turn-coat, washbasin 等。 ④副词虚词+名词,如 afterthought, offshoot, outbreak, byway, bylaw, outpost, overcoat, underclothes, outgrowth, downpour, upkeep, bystander等。 ⑤副词虚词+动词,如 income, outlet, outlook, onset, outfit, upstart, inlet, offspring, outburst, offset等。 ⑥动词+副词,如 die-hard, breakdown, drawback, set-up, break-up, farewell, standstill, feedback等。 ⑦名词+动名词,如 book-keeping, town-planning, letter-writing, word-building, tiger-hunting, paper-manufacturing, bill-collecting, car-repairing, television-advertising, window-shopping, day-dreaming, photocopying, handwriting等。 ⑧其他,如 man-of-war, forget-me-not, son-in-law, mother-in-law, commander-in-chief, editor-in-chief, merry-go-round, hide-and-seek, stay-at-home, jack-in-the-box等。 在这8种构词法中,第7类“名词+动名词”最富生命力。此外,动名词还可以下列三形式构成合成名词: 一动名词+名词,如 drinking water, listening material, fishingrod, waiting-room, looking-glass, stepping-stone, running mate 等。 二动名词+副词虚词,如 swearing-in, going-over 三副词+动名词,如 uprising, well-being 等。