During the two-word stage, vocabulary grows at a rate of roughly 1-3 new words per week, with combinations forming mini-sentences.

During the two-word stage, vocabulary grows at a rate of roughly 1-3 new words per week, with combinations forming mini-sentences.

• A. Two-word stage
• B. Early Multiword Stage
• C. Later Multiword Stage
• D. Pre-speech stage

Answer: (A)

In the two-word stage, children start turning their growing word bank into short, two-word combinations that express simple ideas, like “mommy go” or “doggy eat.” This is when vocabulary grows steadily but not explosively, typically adding about one to three new words each week, while the child begins to show basic syntax by putting words together rather than saying single words in isolation. The speech during this stage is telegraphic—content words carry the meaning while small function words are often omitted (for example, “want juice” instead of “I want juice”). This pattern fits best here because pre-speech involves no real words yet, earlier stages don’t combine into two-word phrases, and later multiword stages involve three or more words and more complex grammar.

In the two-word stage, children start turning their growing word bank into short, two-word combinations that express simple ideas, like “mommy go” or “doggy eat.” This is when vocabulary grows steadily but not explosively, typically adding about one to three new words each week, while the child begins to show basic syntax by putting words together rather than saying single words in isolation. The speech during this stage is telegraphic—content words carry the meaning while small function words are often omitted (for example, “want juice” instead of “I want juice”). This pattern fits best here because pre-speech involves no real words yet, earlier stages don’t combine into two-word phrases, and later multiword stages involve three or more words and more complex grammar.