Compound vs. Phrase a. Stress: first and second word b. Semantic: a compound tends to have a meaning that is more or less idiosyncratic or unpredictable. How to distinguish compound and phrase? § Compounds are often said to have a name-giving function, to be representative of a category . § Phrases are often argued to have a primarily descriptive function . Compound Phrase - greenhouse - green house Compound are words which are formed by combining roots and the much smaller category of phrasal words. There are 3 kinds of compounds: 1. Compound Verbs Verbs formed by compounding are much less usual than verbs derived by affixation. A variety of types exist which may be distinguished accordin...