Are there any specific nouns that are often used together
Yes, there are specific nouns that are often used together in particular combinations called compound nouns and noun collocations.
Compound nouns are nouns made up of two or more words combined to form a distinct noun with a specific meaning different from the individual words. Examples include “policeman,” “boyfriend,” “water tank,” “dining table,” “software,” “sunrise,” and “backpack.” Compound nouns can be formed with different combinations of parts of speech such as noun + noun, noun + verb, adjective + noun, etc. They can be written as one word, hyphenated, or as separate words, depending on the noun (e.g., “playground,” “father-in-law,” “trash can”). 1, 2
In addition, nouns often form collocations with prepositions, such as “experience with,” “lack of,” “increase in,” “effect on,” “difficulty with,” and “access to.” These noun-preposition combinations commonly go together and are used in typical phrases like “lack of remorse,” “increase in online services,” “effect on job satisfaction,” etc. These pairs of nouns and prepositions form meaningful and natural expressions in English. 3, 10
Thus, specific nouns are frequently used together either as compound nouns or in common collocations with prepositions.