The flux of English compound words, whether open, closed, or hyphenated, suggests a dynamic interplay between culture and language. When working with compounds, you will come to appreciate the communication evolution.

Let’s begin this consideration of compounds with a few definitions:

• A compound forms by combining two or more factors.

• A compound word combines two or more words to set up a new meaning.

            - Examples are yard sale, railway, and father-in-law.

• An open compound word is two or more words with spaces between them.

    - Examples are cell phone, jumping jack, and hand towel.

• A closed compound word is two or more words without spaces.

    - Examples are afternoon, wildcat, and football.

• A hyphenated compound word is two or more words with hyphens between them.

    - Examples are king-size, clean-cut, and follow-up.

A warm welcome to Book Reviewer Lili from Utopia State of Mind! Lili, tell us a bit about yourself. 

Lili: I am a scholar at heart, obsessed with SFF and always carrying a book wherever I go (including to the top of a dormant volcano and mountain for Instagram photos). I am obsessed with enamel pins, discovering new tea flavors, and dabbling in makeup. I am committed to celebrating diverse books and using USOM to champion books I feel deserve more praise and attention.

The CritiqueMatch contest coordinator, Mary, “sat down” for a virtual chat with Julie Weaver, the winner of the March 2021 FictionFive Writing Contest.

Julie: Thank you so much! This is my first contest win, and it’s such a thrill. 

I didn’t know what to expect from the contest, but the primary reason I entered was for the feedback. I enjoyed creating my characters and liked how the first chapter turned out, but would others agree? There was only one way to find out. 

Being new to CritiqueMatch, I also thought this was an excellent opportunity to discover what type of feedback I could expect from its members. And I have to say, I was impressed. The judges’ comments were encouraging and useful. Exactly what I’d hoped for.

We are delighted to announce that CritiqueMatch has been named one of the “101 Best Websites for Writers” for the second year in a row!

We would like to thank our members who joined our community, trusted our mission and nominated us to Writer’s Digest! It’s our members’ passion for writing and their willingness to help each other that are the building blocks of our global platform. On our global platform writers connect and exchange work with critique partners and beta readers, using our technology which is uniquely focused on the writers’ privacy and intellectual property.