Vivid descriptions enhance storytelling by creating clear and specific images for readers or listeners. According to MasterClass (2021), vivid descriptions such as metaphors can capture readers’ attention and enhance storytelling. For example, using the word "firefly" instantly evokes a glowing insect, providing a more immediate and visual image than simply saying "an insect that glows." Such descriptions set the tone and atmosphere more effectively, allowing the audience to visualize environments and better understand the mood of the story. Compound words like "sunflower" or "raincoat" also help to paint detailed mental pictures with minimal explanation.

"The image of baby crib with crib mobile featuring bright, star-like decorations."

The Cambridge Dictionary (n.d.) defines a compounding as “two or more words linked together to produce a word with a new meaning.” According to ESL Forums (2021), they are many types of compound words including:

1. Open Compound Words

• E.g., 'ice cream,' 'tea party.'

2. Closed Compound Words

• E.g., 'afternoon,' 'sunflower.'

3. Hyphenated Compound Words

• E.g., 'mother-in-law,' 'well-being.'

Compound words are common and everywhere in our daily language, and they often provide a more specific and refined meaning than their individual parts. Like in the video, the using of 'afterlife' and 'city-state' are the example of closed and hyphenated compound words.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (n.d.), a compound word is defined as “a noun, an adjective or a verb made of two or more words or parts of words, written as one or more words, or joined by a hyphen.”

So, according to BYJU'S (n.d.), compound words are typically formed by combining two nouns, adjectives, verbs, or a mix of these.

For example:

• Noun + Noun: 'toothbrush,' 'keyhole.'

• Adjective + Noun: 'blueberry,' 'high school.'

• Verb + Noun: 'pickpocket,' 'swimming pool.'

• Noun + Gerund: 'mind-blowing,' 'nerve-wrecking.'

There are more ways to form the compound words. Understanding how these words are constructed helps us to know their important role in language development and communication. 

William Shakespeare, often called the 'Bard of Avon,' is famous for works such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and The Merchant of Venice. He made a significant contribution to Modern English, including the development of word formation, especially compounding. In his work of The Merchant of Venice, we can see the patterns and the used of compound words in the story, mainly the open compound words as vivid descriptions.

"For the four winds blow in from every coast renowned suitor, and her sunny locks hang on her temples like a golden fleece." — The Merchant of Venice, Act 1, Scene 1.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (n.d.), golden fleece is formed in English by compounding 'golden' (adjective) and 'fleece' (noun), meaning "the gold pelt of a flying ram in Greek mythology." Shakespeare uses golden fleece to compare the character Portia to the mythical Golden Fleece, symbolizing her immense value (wealth and beauty) to the readers.

George Orwell (pen name of Eric Arthur Blair) was an English novelist, essayist, and critic, famous for his novels Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. He was also a key figure in advancing word formation, particularly by creating new words using the compounding technique. In Nineteen Eighty-Four where the political glossary is widely used, Orwell introduced Newspeak, featuring compound words like:

• Doublethink (double + think),

• Thoughtcrime (thought + crime),

which added new meanings to the English vocabulary. Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.) defines doublethink as "a simultaneous belief in two contradictory ideas," while Oxford Learner's Dictionary (n.d.) describes thoughtcrime as "an idea or opinion that is considered socially unacceptable or criminal." These words represent complex ideas condensed into a single expression, allowing readers to grasp the information quickly and efficiently.