LIN-100 / Description and analysis of language

Morphology – practice
Ex. 1. Divide the following words by placing a + between their morphemes. (Some of the words may be
monomorphemic and therefore indivisible.) Example: replaces = re + place + s

a. retroactive d. margin g. unpalatable j. morphemic

b. befriended e. endearment h. holiday k. mistreatment
c. televise f. psychology i. grandmother l. deactivation

Ex. 2. Match each expression under A with the one statement under B that characterizes it.

A B
noisy crow compound noun
scarecrow root morpheme plus derivational prefix
the crow phrase consisting of adjective plus noun
crowlike root morpheme plus inflectional affix
crows root morpheme plus derivational suffix
grammatical morpheme followed by lexical morpheme

Ex. 3 Write the one proper description from the list under B for the italicized part of each word in A.

A B
terrorized free root
uncivilized bound root
terrorize inflectional suffix
lukewarm derivational suffix
impossible derivational prefix

Ex. 4. There are many asymmetries in English in which a root morpheme combined with a prefix constitutes a
word, but without the prefix is a nonword.

a. Following is a list of such nonword roots. Add a prefix to each root to form an existing English word.

__________ *descript __________ *beknownst __________ *promptu __________ *domitable

__________ *cognito __________ *peccable __________ *plussed __________ *nomer

b. There are many more such multi-morphemic words for which the root morphemes do not constitute words by
themselves. Can you list five more?