Which statement about morphemes is true?

Which statement about morphemes is true?

• A. Morphemes are the smallest units of sound.
• B. Morphemes are units with no meaning.
• C. Morphemes are prefixes, suffixes, or roots that carry meaning.
• D. Morphemes are only used in poetry.

Answer: (C)

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. They include roots that carry the core idea of a word and prefixes or suffixes that attach to roots to modify that meaning or show things like tense, number, or part of speech. For example, in the word unhappy, there’s the root happy, plus the prefix un- that shifts the meaning to the opposite. In worked, the root work combines with the suffix -ed to show past tense. These pieces—prefixes, suffixes, and roots—are morphemes because they contribute to the word’s meaning. This is why the statement describing morphemes as prefixes, suffixes, or roots that carry meaning is the best fit. It captures how words are built from meaningful pieces, not just sounds. Phonemes, the smallest units of sound, are a different concept, so that option isn’t correct. And morphemes do carry meaning, including grammatical meaning like -ed or -s, so they aren’t units with no meaning. Morphemes aren’t limited to poetry; they’re at work in everyday language and word formation.

Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language. They include roots that carry the core idea of a word and prefixes or suffixes that attach to roots to modify that meaning or show things like tense, number, or part of speech. For example, in the word unhappy, there’s the root happy, plus the prefix un- that shifts the meaning to the opposite. In worked, the root work combines with the suffix -ed to show past tense. These pieces—prefixes, suffixes, and roots—are morphemes because they contribute to the word’s meaning.

This is why the statement describing morphemes as prefixes, suffixes, or roots that carry meaning is the best fit. It captures how words are built from meaningful pieces, not just sounds. Phonemes, the smallest units of sound, are a different concept, so that option isn’t correct. And morphemes do carry meaning, including grammatical meaning like -ed or -s, so they aren’t units with no meaning. Morphemes aren’t limited to poetry; they’re at work in everyday language and word formation.