KEY for Exercises for Morphology

The Internal Structure of Words and Processes of Word

Formation in English
1. Analyze the following words into morphs using the model given below.

Prefix(es) Root Suffix(es)

(a) hospital -ize -ation
(b) in- vis -ible -ly
(c) un- interest -ing
(d) under- cook -ed
(e) trans- continent -al
(f) un- grammar -ic -al
(g) re- in- force -ment
(h) proto- type -ic -al
(i) un- for- get -able
(j) im- proper -ity
(k) dis- function -al
(l) in- consider -ate
(m) post- colony -al
(n) un- like -ly -hood
(o) relate -ion -ship
(p) a- symmetry -ic -al
(q) hyper- sense -itive -ity
(r) un- friend -ly -ness
(s) inter- depend -ence
(t) mono- the -ism

2. For each of the bold words in the passage from Wallace Stegner's "The Dump
Ground" below, label the inflectional suffix:

pres =   present tense   compr =   comparative degree

past =   past tense   supl =   superlative degree
prsprt =   present participle   poss =   possessive case
pstprt =   past participle   pl =   plural number

should   past
most   supl
neighbors'   pl (+ poss)*
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 ourselves   pl
took   past
bringing   prsprt
used   pstprt
gathered   past
lying   prsprt
renewed   pstprt
families   pl
returned   pstprt
somebody's   poss
brought   past
remember   pres
would   past
its   poss
judged   pstprt
chooses   pres
more   compr
3. Divide the following words into morphs (use slashes) and then list the morphemes.
Note that some words may require more than one analysis into morphemes.

1. (a) least {LITTLE} + {supl} fusional

(b) set {SET} + {pres} null realization
{SET} + {past} zero
{SET} + {pstprt} zero
{SET} + {sg} null realization
(c) fish {FISH} + {sg} null realization
{FISH} + {pl} zero
{FISH} + {pres} null realization
(d) should {SHALL} + {past} fusional
(e) hop/ed {HOPE} + {past} agglutinative
{HOPE} + {pstprt} agglutinative
(f) hear/ing {HEAR} + {prsprt} agglutinative
{HEAR} + {gerund} + {sg} agglutinative and null
(g) were {BE} + {past} + {pl} fusional
(h) elder {OLD} + {compr} fusional
{ELDER} + {sg} null
(i) must {MUST} + {pres} null realization
{MUST} + {past} zero

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 (j) top/most {TOP} + {supl} agglutinative
(k) our {1st} + {pl} + {poss} fusional
(l) ring/s {RING} + {pl} agglutinative
{RING} + {pres} null realization
(m) say/ing/s {SAY} + {gerund} + {pl} agglutinative
(n) brok/en {BREAK} + {pstprt} fusional
(o) these {THIS} + {pl} fusional
(p) who/se {WHO} + {poss} agglutinative
(q) old/er {OLD} + {compr} agglutinative
(r) her {3rd} + {f} + {sg} + {poss} fusional
{3rd} + {f} + {sg} + {obj} fusional
(s) tak/en {TAKE} + {pstprt} agglutinative
(t) women/s {WOMAN} + {pl} + {poss} fusional and agglutinative

4. Sort the prefixes in the words below into the following seven categories according to
meaning:

a. Time e. Privative
b. Number f. Negative
c. Place g. Size
d. Degree
  (a)   Time      post- postdate, postelection
     fore- forewarn, foreshadow
  (b)   Number      bi- bifocal, bisexual
     poly- polyglot, polygon
  (c)   Place      out- outdoor, outhouse
     sub- subway, subfloor
  (d)   Degree      hyper- hyperactivity, hyperthyroidism
     ultra- ultraviolet, ultraconservative
  (e)   Privative      de- demilitarize, defrost
     dis- disclose, disarm
  (f)   Negative      non- nonentity, nonsmoker
     mal- maladjusted, malpractice
  (g)   Size      mega- megawatt, megalosaur
     macro- macrocosm, macroeconomics
   English: fore-, out-
   Latin: post-, bi-, sub-, ultra-, de-, dis-, non-, mal-
   Greek: poly-, hyper-, mega-, macro-

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5. Sort the suffixes in the words below according to their class-changing function. The
categories include the following. There are two examples of each suffix.
6.

a. N > N e. N > A
b. V > N f. V>A
c. A > N g. N/A > Adv
d. N/A > V

  2.   (a)   N > N -dom kingdom, stardom

-ster gangster, mobster
-(ic)ian politician, rhetorician
  (b)   V > N -al refusal, trial
-ant inhabitant, participant
-ure seizure, closure
  (c)   A > N -th warmth, width
-ism conservatism, idealism
-hood falsehood, likelihood
  (d)   N/A > V -en broaden, straighten
-ate facilitate, vaccinate
  (e)   N > A -ic historic, syntactic
-less friendless, penniless
-ish selfish, boyish
  (f)   V > A -ory advisory, contradictory
-less tireless, thankless
  (g)   N/A > Adv -wise stepwise, clockwise
-fold twofold, manifold
7. Identify the syntactic pattern in each of the following compounds and express it in a
lexical rule.
Example: gravedigger N + V + -er > N

  (a)   V + N > N       (s)   A + N > V (conversion)

  (b)   N + N > N       (t)   A + N > N
  (c)   N + N > N       (u)   N + N/V > N/A
  (d)   N + N > N       (v)   V + N > N
  (e)   Prt + N + -s > N       (w)   A + V + -ing > A
  (f)   Prt + V + -er > N       (x)   A + V > A (conversion)
  (g)   V + Prt > N (conversion)       (y)   A + A > A
  (h)   V + Prt > N (conversion)       (z)   N + V + -ing > A
  (i)   V + Prt > N (conversion)       (aa)   A + V + -ing > A
  (j)   V + Prt > N (conversion)       (bb)   N + V + -en > A
  (k)   V + Prt > N (conversion)       (cc)   A + V + -en > A

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   (l)   N + A > A       (dd)   V + -er + V + -er > N
  (m)   V + -en + Prt > N (conversion)       (ee)   N + -en + N > N
  (n)   A + N + -ed > A       (ff)   V + -er + 's + N > N
  (o)   N + A > A       (gg)   V + -ing + N > N
  (p)   N + V > V       (hh)   V + N > N
  (q)   Prt + V + -en > V/A       (ii)   A + V > V/N
  (r)   Prt + V > V       (jj)   N + V/N > V/N

8. The following words are compounds which also include derivational affixes. Analyze
the words, identifying the roots and their parts of speech, as well all the affixes and
their function as nominalizer, verbalizer, adjectivalizer, or adverbializer.
Example: housekeeper
             house (root - noun) + keep (root - verb) + -er (nominalizer)
(a) flight (root - worth (root - noun) + -y -ness (nominalizer)
noun) + (adjectivalizer)
+
(b) chat (root - -er (nominalizer) + box (root -
verb) + noun)
(c) own (root - -er (nominalizer) + occupy (root - -en (past
verb) + verb) + participle/adjectivalizer)
(d) free (root - -dom (nominalizer) + love (root - -ing (present
adjective) verb) + participle/adjectivalizer)
+
(e) hand (root -y (adjectivalizer) + craft (root -
- noun) + noun)
(f) break (root -en (past heart (root - -ed (adjectivalizer)
- verb) + participle/adjectivalizer) noun) +
+
(g) safe (root - -ty (nominalizer) + test (root - verb) -ed (past
adjective) + participle/adjectivalizer)
+
(h) world (root -ly (adjectivalizer) + wise (root -
- noun) + adjective)
(i) anti - air (root - noun) + craft (root -
(prefix) + noun)
(j) machine read (root - verb) + -able (suffix -
(root - adjectivalizer)
noun) +

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 (k) charter -ed (suffix - account (root -ant (suffix - nominalizer)
(root - adjectivalizer) + verb) +
noun) +

9. Identify the process of word formation responsible for each of the following words.
Try to determine the process before you consult a dictionary, though it may be
necessary for you to do so.

  (a) clipping < curio(sity)

  (b) back formation < lazy — -y
  (c) conversion N > V
  (d) back formation < coherence — -ence
  (e) clipping < sit(uation) com(edy)
  (f) blend < m(arionette) (p)uppets
  (g) phrasal compound
  (h) clipping < (oleo)margarine (N.B. oleo is an alternate clipped form)
  (i) false morphological division < dis- + -topia < u/topia
  (j) literary coinage (by Horace Walpole)
  (k) commonization < Rudolf Diesel
  (l) reduplication < French
  (m) phrasal verb
  (n) conversion N > V
  (o) compounding, conversion Prt + Prt > N
  (p) acronym < a(lpha) m(ethyl) phe(ngl) t(hyl)amine
  (q) conversion V > N
  (r) blend < ch(annel) (t)unnel
  (s) blend < gu(ess) + estimate or guess + (es)timate
  (t) commonization < Canary Islands
  (u) reduplication
  (v) root creation (used by physicist N. David Mermin following creation by
Lewis Carroll)
  (w) reduplication
  (x) clipping < psycho(path)
  (y) reduplication, diminutive, conversion
  (z) amalgamated compound < bān' 'bone' + fyr 'fire' in Old English)

10. The words in column A have been created from the corresponding words in column
B. Indicate the word formation process responsible for the creation of each word in
column A.

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  (a) blending
  (b) amalgamated compound
  (c) clipping, diminutive
  (d) clipping
  (e) blending
  (f) initialism
  (g) acronym
  (h) back formation
  (i) clipping, commonization
  (j) blending, false morphological analysis
  (k) clipping
  (l) back formation
  (m) clipping, false morphological analysis (delicat/essen)
  (n) acronym
  (o) back formation
  (p) clipping