Page:Graimear na Gaedhilge.djvu/198

Rh kingdom, from :, comparison, emulation, competition; from , equal, and , greatness, i.e., comparing the greatness of one thing with that of another.

. Compound nouns are formed by the union of two or more simple nouns, or of a noun and an adjective.

(A.) '''A compound noun formed of two or more nouns, each in the nominative case, has its declension determined by the last noun. Its gender also is that of the last noun,''' unless the first noun-part be such as requires a different gender. The first word qualifies the second, and the initial consonant of the second is usually aspirated.

(B.) If the compound is formed of a noun in the nominative form followed by a genitive noun, the first is the principal noun, and determines the declension and gender; the second qualifies the first, and generally remains unaltered, and the aspiration of the initial consonant in this case depends on the gender of the first noun. See par. 21(f).

We will give here a few examples of the two chief kinds of compound nouns. It is usual to employ a hyphen between the nouns in Class A, but not in Class B.