4. Morphems is………
Example: the word “boy” cannot be broken down into any further unit of meaning.
B
O
Y
But,the word “antigovernment” can be broken down into
Anti :against
Govern:to rule
-ment :noun suffix
5. Affixation
Affixes are our workhorse morphems
The tools we use again to assemble new words.
o Suffixes…ex: -ion in motion and –ate in investigate
o Prefixes…ex: re- in redo and un- in unthinkable
o Circumfixes…ex: en- -en in enlighten and em- -en in embolden
In older usage,however,the present participle could be formed using the circumfix a- -
ing in a flaying or a caroling
6. Inflection in morphology
• -S (after a noun) indicates plurality
• -’S indicates the possessive case
• -S (after a verb) indicates the third person singular
• -ing indicates the progressive aspect,or participles
• -en indicate the perfect aspect in some irregular verbs
• -ed indicates the past tense
• -er indicates comparatives
• -est indicates superlatives
