structure of the word

The study of word structure is called

morphology.
Understanding word structure helps us:

improve spelling
expand vocabulary
The modern approach to word
studies is based on distinguishing
between the external and internal
structures of the word.
By external structure of the wordwe
mean its morphological structure. For
example, in the word post-impressionists
the following morphemes can be
distinguished:

the prefixes post-, im-, the root

press, the noun-forming suffixes -
ion, -ist, and the grammatical suffix
of plurality -s.
The internal structure of a word is usually
called the semantic structure of a word.
This is the main aspect of the word.
The area of lexicology specializing in the semantic studies of the word is
called semantics.

In studying word structure, we start by

looking at a few key concepts first:

root words
prefixes
suffixes
Root words are words, or parts of words,
that can usually stand alone. The
following are all root words:

elbow
fast Most root words can be changed in
nudge various ways by adding additional
elements to them:

elbows
faster
nudged
Each of the examples above has been
altered by adding an element at the end.
The elements at the end, namely -s, -er,
and -ed, cannot stand alone. These
elements are called suffixes.

Sometimes, elements are added to the

beginning of a word:

expose → underexpose
appear → disappear
take → overtake
event → non-event
The elements added to the beginnings of the
words above cannot stand alone, and are
called prefixes.

Sometimes, when we add a prefix or suffix to

a word, we create a new word. This process is
called derivation.

appear → appearance
The two words above are definitely two
different words - the first is a verb, the second
a noun. Their meanings and uses in sentences
are different. In a dictionary, we would have to
look them up separately, even though they
have a common root word.
Sometimes, when we add a suffix, we
don't create a new word at all. This
process is called inflection.

cat → cats

In the above example, we really have

just one word - the first is singular, the
second plural. In a dictionary, we might
look for cat, but we wouldn't look for a
separate entry for cats.
When words are built from a common
root word, or a common ancestor in
history (often a Latin word), we call the
group of words a word family.

grammar, grammatical, grammatically,

ungrammatical, ungrammatically

The terms above are all built from a

common root word, grammar.
The terms below are built from a
common ancestor, the Latin word
spectare, meaning 'to look':

inspect, spectacle, spectacular,

inspection
This word family includes verbs, nouns,
and adjectives.
what is morphology?

Why do we need to study the structure of words?

What is the main aspect of the word?

what is called semantics?

what is a prefix?

what are root words?