"noun of noun" vs. "noun+noun"?

I wonder if there is a significant difference at the semantic or pragmatic levels in using the compounds structures noun of noun or noun+noun. For example, is it the same to say "the consumption of energy" or "energy consumption"? Do these forms have a specific name in the English sintax?

I would really appreciate if somebody can help me understand the difference between these structures, if any.

Solution 1:

Using a noun as a pre-modifier of a noun is using the modifying noun as an attributive noun or noun adjunct, whereas the other construction simply uses a prepositional phrase as a postnominal modifier. This has been covered many times here.

I don't think anyone has covered which construction/s may be used in various cases, though. There seems little obvious rhyme or reason. Possible permutations are:

1) the attributive usage is allowed but the of-phrase is not:

death wish v */?wish of death; football manager v *manager of football

2) the of-phrase is allowed but the attributive usage is not:

fear of death v *death fear; Ides of March v *March Ides

3) both are allowed but have different meanings:

return of taxes v tax return; cup of tea v teacup; tin of biscuits v biscuit tin

4) both are allowed and have virtually the same meaning:

consumption of energy v energy consumption

Where the noun + noun pairings are fixed expressions – perhaps even compound nouns - they will appear in most dictionaries and certainly dictionaries of collocations. Expressions like "fear of death" will appear readily in Google searches. Strings like "manager of football" won't appear (as independent expressions).

Solution 2:

There's no difference. It's a matter of style. As Edwin points out, not every noun+noun pair has a corresponding noun+"of"+noun construction.

"cup of tea v teacup" is an interesting pair: A teacup is an empty cup. There could be tea in a teacup, but not necessarily - there could be coffee (one shudders at the thought). But a cup of tea always has tea in it.

This may be one of the things you have to learn by reading and listening.