What is morphology ?

Morph = form or shape, ology = study of Morphology is the study of the basic building blocks of meaning in
language.
What is a morpheme?

A morpheme is the minimal unit of meaning or grammatical function. For example,

The English word play (basic element) that stands for its own and other additional elements plays, played,
playing, replay.
Morpheme meets three criteria :
1- It is a word or a part of a word that has meaning
2- It cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts without violation of its meaning or without meaningless
reminders
3- It recurs in differing verbal environments with a relatively stable meaning
Write a number after each word showing how many morphemes it contains
Play = 1 Replay = 2 unable = 2 cheaply = 2
Man = 1 weak = 1 weakness = 2 rainy = 2
Write the meaning of the italicized morphemes
Antedate = before\ replay = again \ manly = like \ keeper = one who \ unable + inactive + impossible = not \
cheapest = most

Free morpheme

That is a morpheme is free if it is able to appear as a word by itself.

(can be uttered with meaning)
Bound morpheme

It is bound if it can only appear as part of a larger, multi-morphemic word.

(cannot be uttered with meaning)

Undressed
UnPrefex
Bound

dress
stem
free

careless
-ed
suffix
bound

care
stem
free

-less
suffix
bound

-ness
suffix
bound

Underline the free morphemes

Speaker \ kingdom\ petrodollar\ idolize \ selective. .. . .
Underline the bound morphemes
Speaker \ kingdom \ petrodollar \ idolize \ selective \ remake \ undo\ dreamed \ biomass

A base morpheme :It is the part of a word that has the principal meaning
Underline the bases in these words
Womanly \ endear \ failure \ famous \ infamous \ enlighten

A base is a linguistic form that meets one or more of these requirements

1- It can occur as an immediate constituent of a word whose only other immediate constituent is a prefix
or suffix Examples: react active fertilize
2- It is an allomorph of a morpheme which has another allomorph that is a free form
3- Examples: depth (deep) wolves (wolf)
4- It is a borrowing from another language in which it is a free form or a base
5- Examples: biometrics microcosm phraseology
Affixes
An affix is a bound morpheme that occurs before or within or after a base
There are three kinds of affixes: prefixes infixes and suffixes
Prefixes: are those bound morphemes that occur before a base
Infixes: are bound morphemes that have been inserted within a word
Suffixes: are bound morphemes that occur after a base
Examples: Prefix = unfuckinbelieveable \ infix = unfuckinbelieveable \ suffix = unfuckinbelieveable
Write the meaning of the prefixes below and write another word containing the same prefix with the same
meaning
Antifreeze against
antivirus

Imperfect not
impossible

Postwar after
postmortem

Circumvent around
circumstances

Irreverent not
irreplaceable

Proceed forward
progress

Copilot with
cooperation

Inspire in,on inscribe

Retroactive backward
retrogress

Contradict against
contravene
Devitalize do the
opposite of deactivate
Disagreeable not
dishonest
Insecure not
incompetent

Intervene between
intercede
Intramural within
intravenous
Obstruct against or
opposite obstacle
Prewar before
preconceive

Semiprofessional half
semisoft
Subway under
substandard
Supernatural over
superman

Write the number of suffixes it contains after each word

Organists = 2 \ personalities = 3 \ flirtatiously = 2 \ atomizers = 3 \ contradictorily = 3
Inflectional suffixes can be schematized as follows:
123456789-

{-s pl}
{-s sg ps}
{- s pl ps}
{- 3d}
{-ing vb}
{-d pt}
{-d pp}
{-er cp}
{-er sp}

\ dogs , bushes
\ noun plural
\ boys
\ noun singular possessive
\ boys , mens
\ noun plural possessive
\ runs , catches
\ present third-person singular
\ discussing
\ present participle
\ chewed
\ past tense
\ chewed, eaten
\ past participle
\ bolder, sooner , nearer \ comparative
\boldest, soonest, nearest \ superlative

The inflectional suffixes differ from the derivational suffixes in the following ways
1234-

They do not change the part of speech

They come last in a word when they are present
They go with all stems of a given part of speech
They do not pile up; only one ends a word

Write the name for each bold inflectional suffix below:

The flagpole remained in front of Main Hall = past tense
Four pledges were initiated = noun plural
Shirley pledges to do her best = 3rd person singular
The pledges shirt was torn = noun singular possessive
The pledges shirts were torn = noun plural possessive
We were discussing the editorial = present participle
The novel was shorter than I had expected = comparative
They waited at the dock = past tense
Which is the longest route? = superlative
The dealer weighed the poultry = past participle

Derivational suffixes characteristics

1- The words with which derivational suffixes combine is an arbitrary matter
2- In many cases but not all a derivational suffix changes the part of speech of the word to which it is
added
3- Usually do not close off a word

Derivational suffixes examples:

Happiness \ friendship \ boyhood \ activity \ imagination \ ignorance \ pleasure \ multilingualism
After every word indicate its part of speech classification by N(noun V(verb) Aj(adjective) Av(adverb)
Break = N\V * Conspire = V * Ideal = N\Aj * False = Aj * Passion = noun * Sweetly = Av * Singer = N * accept
Daily = Aj\N\Av * familiarization = N * doubt = N\V
Add a derivational suffix to each of the following words which already end in a derivational suffix
Reasonable = reasonableness \ formal = formality \ organize = organization \ purify = purification \ realist =
realistic
Add an inflectional suffix to each of the following words which end in derivational suffixes
Kindness = kindnesses \ beautify = beautified \ quarterly = quarterlies \ popularize = popularized
Depth = depths \ pressure = pressures \ arrival = arrivals \ friendly = friendlier \ funny = funniest
Allomorphs - are the set of morphs

- are variants of a morpheme that differ in pronunciation identical

Examples: the plural (e)s of regular nouns can be pronounced \-z\, mats \-s\, or papers\-iz\ depending on the
final sound of the nouns singular form
Zero allomorph: an inflection on nouns or verbs presumed to be present although invisible
Examples: in three sheep and he hit a home run the plural of sheep and the past tense of hit are said to be
realized as zeros
Words a sound or a letter or a group of both that express particular meaning
Simple, complex and compound words:
1- Simple words consist of a single morpheme. Examples: slay, flea, long, spirit, knave, graph, pure, oyster,
mete
2- Complex words contain as their immediate constituents either two bound forms or abound and a free
form. Examples: matri|side \ tele|vise \ ex|clude \ cosmo|naut \ knav|ish \ tele|graph \ aqua|naut\
bi|cycle \ philo|sophy \ dent|tal
3- Compound words have free forms usually two as their immediate constituents
Examples: green|house \ out|side \ no|show \ under|go \ over|ripe \ attorney|general
*a small number of compound words have three or four free forms as coordinate ICs
Examples: happy|go|lucky \ spic|and|span

Word formation processes

Compounding: process used in English and it involves combining roots\two or more words to create new
ones known as compound lexemes. E.g.: typewriter, hotdog, dining room, handbag, breakfast, high school,
baby-sitter, mother-in-law
Derivation: process by which new words are created by adding derivational affixes to simple bases\roots.
E.g.: act+or actor \ act+ive active \ king+dom kingdom
Invention:

One of the least common processes of word formation

It involves the invention of totally new words
It is associated with the names of inventors, products names or companies names
E.g. aspirin, nylon, Kleenex, Kodak, Fahrenheit

Echoism: the formation of words whose sound suggests their meaning.

E.g.: hiss\ hush\ click\ thunder\whisper\moan.
Clipping: the process of cutting off the beginning or the end of a word or both, leaving apart to stand for the
whole.
Examples: exam\ gym\math\lab\ dorm\ prof\ fan\ gas\ ad
Acronymy: the process whereby a word is formed from the initial or beginning segments of a succession of
words.
E.g.: LAZER Light Amplification By Stimulated Emission of Radiation
NATO North Atlantic Treaty \ NOW National Organization of Women \ OK Old Kinderhook
WASP White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant \ IRS Internal Revenue Service
Blending:

A special form of word formation that involves both compounding and clipping.
It is the fusion of two words into one, the first part of one word with the last part of another.
E.g. brunch breakfast+lunch \ Smog Smoke+fog \ motel motor+hotel \ telecast
television+broadcast
happenstance happen+circumstance \ stagflation stagnation+inflation \
simulcast simultaneous+broadcast \ dumbfound dumb+confound \ telecast tele+broadcast

Back-formation:

Avery specified type of reduction process in which a form of one lexical category is reduced to
form another.
When the Verb is formed from the Noun
E.g. televise television \ donate donation \ edit editor \ housekeep housekeeper
administrate administration \ babysit baby-sitter \ emote emotion

Inflectional Paradigms
Paradigm: is a set of related forms having the same stem but different affixes.
Stem

Plural

Possessive

--------

{s-pl}

{-s ps}

Plural +
Possessive

The noun paradigm

{-s pl
ps}

Doctor

doctors

doctors

doctors

Woman

women

womans

womens

Carpenter

Carpenters

Carpenters
Carpenters

Brother

Brothers

Brothers

Brothers

Japanese

Japanese

-------------

-----------------

Cattle

Cattle

-------------

Cattles

Athletics

athletics

Athletics

------------------

Duck

Ducks

Ducks

Ducks

Underline the noun modifier or pronoun reference that reveals the number of the bold noun:
-

The hunting party saw few deer this season

That news delighted her
He studied poetics in all its complications
My scissors lost their sharpness
She shot both quail on the wing

Underline the verb that reveals the number of the bold noun:
-

The Chinese was preparing the dinner

The Chinese were preparing the dinner
Oats is his best crop
The bass are biting today
The species has become extinct

Indicate by Sg or Pl whether the bold collective nouns are singular or plural:

-

The band is playing well today Sg

The band are playing well today Pl
The choir became dissatisfied with their robes Pl
The choir became dissatisfied with its singing Sg
The staff of the college paper was a high-quality group Pl
The tribe were on the warpath Pl
The tribe was the owner fo the river bottom Sg
The congregation rose to its feet Sg
The congregation have all helped with the fund-raising drive Pl

The verb paradigm

Present
ThirdPerson
Singular

Present
Participle

Past
Tense

Past
Participle

{s 3d}

{-ING vb}

{-D pt}

{-D pp}

Show

Shows

Showing

Showed

Showed
also shown

Ring

Rings

Ringing

Rang

Rung

Cut

cuts

Cutting

Cut

cut

Stem

---------

Learn

Learns

Choose

Chooses

Set

Sets

Learning

Learned

Learned

Choosing

Chose

Chosen

Setting

Set

set

*Verbs have three, four, or five forms for example the verb learn have four forms
Each of these five forms has its own uses:
1- The stem: occurs after to, after auxiliaries such as can and will
Examples: to sit \ can go \ we eat
2- The present third-person singular: is the form used with the pronouns he, she it
Examples: - he cuts his class every Wednesday \ that freshman cuts his class every Wednesday
3- The present participle: combines with seven of the eight forms... am\ is \ are\ was \ were\ be \ been
Examples: they were writing letters \ she must have been sleeping

4- The past tense takes on numerous forms

Examples: jumped\ shrunk\ kept\ led \began\ rode\ built\ found\ knew\ swore \ shook
5- The past participle is used with have, has, had
Examples: she has selected a stunning gown \ he had never flown in a helicopter

Write down the following verb paradigms and indicate how many forms they have
-

Walk walks walking walked walked [4]

Bite bites biting bit bit or bitten [4 or 5]
Keep keeps keeping kept kept [4]
Freeze freezes freezing froze frozen [5]
Set sets setting set set [3]
Sell sells selling sold sold [4]
Put puts putting put put [3]
Sleep sleeps sleeping slept slept [4]

The comparable Paradigm

Stem

Comparative

Superlative

----------

{ER cp}

{EST sp}

Deadly

Deadlier

Deadliest

sweet

Sweeter

Sweetest

Friendly

Friendlier

Friendliest

Soon

Sooner

Soonest

Write down the comparative and superlative forms for the following stems
Angry angrier angriest \ healthy healthier healthiest
Common commoner commonest \ quiet quieter quietest
Stupid stupider stupidest \ foolish x x \ cruel x cruelest
Well better best \ bad worse worst \ much, many more most
Old older oldest \ few fewer fewest

Noun: is the name of a thing that may be seen, felt, heard or understand
Verb: is a word that shows action or state of being
Adjective: is a word that modifies a noun
Adverb: defined as a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

Underline the nouns in the following sentences:

-

Our president has a new plan

The janitors had not seen the umbrella
The counselor may plan a different approach
My aunt always mothers her youngest son
The chefs sisters arrived

Indicate how many of the five forms the bold verbs has
-

The president met the leaders of the parade [4]

The mines had been swept away [4]
The bridge players would not leave the table [4]
The water is spreading into the meadow [3]
The canary might have been eaten by the cat [5]
June set the table [3]

Write down the source noun, verb, adjective, or bound form of the adjectives below
Golden gold \ helpless help \ lovely love \ peaceful peace
Classify the bold words whether its adverb or adjective
-

Your ideas seem sensible Aj

They are playing happily Av
He turned the hands clockwise Av
Be careful Aj
Have you seen the paper lately? Av
Its fragile. Lift it easylike Av
She walked homeward Av
Luckily, the brake was set Av
The students reports were creative Aj
Her report was very specific Aj
You richly deserve the prize Av
Annie is a waitress evenings Av