Which morpheme creates a word with a new meaning or part of speech?

Which morpheme creates a word with a new meaning or part of speech?

• A. derivational morpheme
• B. receptive language skills
• C. transitive verb
• D. whole language approach

Answer: (A)

Derivational morphemes attach to a base to create a new word or to change its part of speech. They are the builders of new words and meanings. For example, adding the suffix -er to teach turns a verb into a noun meaning a person who teaches. Adding -ness to happy changes an adjective into a noun, meaning the state of being happy. These changes introduce new meanings or new word classes. Inflectional morphemes, by contrast, tweak tense, number, or agreement (like -s, -ed, -ing) without creating a new word or changing its part of speech, which is why they’re not the right fit here. The other options refer to concepts that aren’t morphemes involved in word-formation.

Derivational morphemes attach to a base to create a new word or to change its part of speech. They are the builders of new words and meanings. For example, adding the suffix -er to teach turns a verb into a noun meaning a person who teaches. Adding -ness to happy changes an adjective into a noun, meaning the state of being happy. These changes introduce new meanings or new word classes.

Inflectional morphemes, by contrast, tweak tense, number, or agreement (like -s, -ed, -ing) without creating a new word or changing its part of speech, which is why they’re not the right fit here. The other options refer to concepts that aren’t morphemes involved in word-formation.