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My understanding is that solution discussion is grammatically correct, whereas solutions discussion is not.

However, when looking at solution discussion, I cannot say if it is a discussion about one solution, or multiple solutions.

When using compound nouns, is it always ambiguous?

Laurel
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Pablo
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  • It may well mean multiple solutions, depending on context. Incidentally. "solution discussion" is not a compound noun but a syntactic construction consisting of modifier+head. – BillJ Dec 05 '23 at 08:10
  • Why do you think that one is 'grammatically correct' and the other not? This Ngram appears to show that solution discussion is more common; however, all the examples found show the two words just happening to occur next to one another, not as part of a phrase. Solutions discussion does occur as a phrase. – Kate Bunting Dec 05 '23 at 09:35
  • @BillJ I see. As a speaker of a Romance language, solution discussion sounds weird to me, and I also don't like the ambiguity, but it's easier than saying discussion of solutions. – Pablo Dec 05 '23 at 17:37
  • @KateBunting so that's interesting. I've heard many times that, as a general rule, adjectives and attributive nouns, in English, should be singular, with some exceptions, such as sports news. So, is it okay to break this rule and say Solutions Discussion to do away with ambiguity (assuming the rule actually exists) ? – Pablo Dec 05 '23 at 17:40
  • Whether or not a randomly constructed two-orthographic-word string N₁ + N₂ is an open compound noun (eg particle board), a strong collocation, a weak collocation, or a free combination is not predictable (certainly as far as non-native-speakers are concerned). It could even be classed as unacceptable on grounds of common sense (hygiene supernova). 'Discussion on solution' sounds far more idiomatic (natural) than 'solution discussion' or 'solutions discussion'. See here for a related issue. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 05 '23 at 17:51
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    Cerberus answers the question about singular-form vs plural-form attributive noun usages at When are attributive nouns plural?; see also Is there a rule for forming 'plural compound nouns'. Idiomaticity of either requires checking individual examples. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 05 '23 at 17:57
  • All these comments combined with the provided links, together, have helped me understand the various uses of attributive nouns. Thank you so much! – Pablo Dec 05 '23 at 19:17
  • @EdwinAshworth An 'open compound' is a contradiction in terms. By its very definition, a compound is a single word consisting, not of two lexemes, but of two bases. Items like "particle board" are nominals consisting of modifier+base – BillJ Dec 06 '23 at 08:06
  • @BillJ I've not found this in my copy, but here LPH includes: (CoGEL III 4, Quirk et al., 1985) 'AmE inclines to fewer hyphens than BrE, preferring words to be written either open ... or SOLID (without separation) rather than hyphenated.' Please specify which school you cite rather than assume it's gospel. CGEL attribute correctly. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 06 '23 at 16:38

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