1.

Morphology is the study of internal structure of words and of the rules by which
word are formed.
- A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit in a language.
- Morpheme: lexical meaning and grammatical meaning.
- A morphem is a short segment of language that meets three criyeria:
1. It is a word or part of a words that has meaning.
2. It cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts without violation of its meaning or
without meaningless remainders.
3. It recurs in different verbal environments with a relatively stables meaning.
Morphemes  have meaning

Phonemes  have no meaning, have distinctive features that help to distinguish meaning.

A morphemes = only a single phoneme

Morphemes are generally short sequences of phonemes.

Most English morphemes are intermediate in size  consist of about two to six phonemes

 In English, a morpheme is not identical with a syllable.

 The syllables is a phonological unit whereas the morpheme is the basic unit in
morphology
 Words are made up of one ormore morphemes = morphemes are the constituents of
words
2. Bound morphemes and free morpheme.
Free morphemes:
- A free morpheme is one that can be uttered alone with meaning.
- A free morpheme can be used on its own.
- Free morpheme may stand alone as words in their own right, as well as enter into the
structure of other words.
Bound morphemes:

- A bound morpheme can not be uttered alone with meaning. It is always annexed to
one or more morphemes to form a word.
- A bound morpheme is never used alone but must be used with another morpheme.
- Bound morphemes may occur only if they combine with another morpheme.
3. Affixes:
- Positon: prefixes and suffixes
- Function: inflectional affixes and derivational affixes.
 8 inflectional suffixes:
- Always suffixes
- Perform a gramatical function
- Representatives of grammatical categories.
1. The noun plural morpheme
Ex: books, apples, boxes,
2. The noun possessive morpheme
Ex: man’s, student’s,..
3. The verb third person singular present tense morpheme
Ex: walks, mixes,..
4. The verb present participle morpheme
Ex: playing, typing, digging,…
5. The verb past simple morpheme
Ex: worked, drank,..
6. The verb past participle morpheme
Ex: workes, drunk,..
7. The adjective or adverb comparative morpheme
Ex: smaller, thinner,..
8. The adjective or adverb superlative morpheme
Ex: smallest, thinnest,…
Derivational affixes:

- Class-changing derivational affixes

- Class-maintaining derivational affixes.

The relative order of morpheme in the English word:

Derivational prefix – BASE – derivational suffix(es) – inflectional suffix.

  Affixes ----almost/ always-- Bound morpheme
 Bases: Free base (nearly always), bound base.

4. Morphemes – allomorphs:
Singular noun + the inflectional noun plural morpheme = plural noun.

Allomorphem:
- Phonologically conditioned allomorphs
- Morphhologically conditioned allomorphs
Types of allomorphs:

1. Additive allomorphs: something is added to a word.

2. Replacive allomorphs: a sound is used to replace another sound in a word.
3. Subtractive allomorphs: something is deleted from aword.
4. Suppletive allomorphs: there is a complete change in the shape of a word.
5. The zero allomorph: There is no change in the shape of a word

1. audi- :hear
2. –cide=killing
3. Ora- = mouth/speak
4. Aqua-/aque- =water
5. Mor(t)-=death/dead
6. Corp-=the whole physical body of human being or an animal or group of people
working or acting as a unit
7. Ten-= hold
8. Pend-=hang
9. Man-=hand
10. Ject-= throw/shoot
11. –vise=see
12. –dict=say
13. –gress= go
14. -ven: come

15. -cur: run

16. -spect: look

17. -pos(e); place/put

18. -rod: gnaw

19. -port : carry

20. -rupt : break

21. ann- : year

22. -gamy: marriage

23. -tain : hold

24. -ceive, -cept, -ceit: take

25. -fer: carry bear

26. -clude: shut, close

27. -port: carry

Prefixes:

Ad- (ac-, at-) : to, toward

Com- (con-): with, together, jointly, in

 De- : from, down, away

Dis- (dif-) : aquart

Ex- : from, out from, out of

In- (im-) : in into, within, toward,on

Per- : through, thoroughly

Pre- : before, in advance

Inter- : between

Pro- : forward, before, forth, for

Re- : back, again

Sub- (sup-) : under

Trans- : across, beyond, through

The word lion is ...............................................

Select one:

A. mono-syllabic but poly-morphemic

B. poly-syllabic and poly-morphemic

C. mono-syllabic and mono-morphemic

D. poly-syllabic but mono-morphemic

/t/, /d/, and /id/ are 3 allomorphs of the inflectional verb past simple morpheme because .......

Select one:

A. they are in complementary distribution and they have the same meaning.

B. they are in complementary distribution and they have the lexical meaning.

C. they are in morphological conditioning and they have the same meaning.
 D. they are in phonological conditioning and they have the lexical meaning.

A .................................. cannot be uttered alone with meaning, but  it is always annexed to one or more
morphemes to form a word.

The morpheme -al added to the noun nation makes an adjective national: -al is a/an ..............................

derivational suffix.

In the word coldest, -est is the .....................  ....................  ..................... morpheme.

Inflectional suffixes are the representatives of .......................... categories.

/s/, /z/, and /iz/ are 3 allomorphs of the inflectional verb third person singular present tense morpheme
because they are in phonological conditioning and they have grammatical meaning.

Hãy chọn một:

Đúng

Sai

There are 3 bound morphemes in the word transportation.

Hãy chọn một:

Đúng

Sai

There is not usually more than one inflectional suffix in English words.

Hãy chọn một:

Đúng

Sai

Five morphemes in the word decolonialization are de-, colony, al-, ize-, ation-.

Hãy chọn một:

Đúng

Sai
Match the bound bases in the given words with their meaning:

recur, current Answer 1

Ch?n...
conclude, include Answer 2

Ch?n...
contain, retain Answer 3

conceive,
perceive
be --> was

Answer: 

CONTENTS

Preface...................................................................................................................................................3
Table of notational symbols.................................................................................................................7

Unit one: MORPHEMES..........................................................................................................9

1. Definition – Characteristics..................................................................................................9
2. How to distinguish Morphemes from Phonemes, Syllables and Words?...................................9
3. Classification of Morphemes...................................................................................................11
3.1. Free morphemes vs. Bound morphemes.................................................................................11
3.2. Bases (also called Roots) vs. Affixes.....................................................................................12
4. Variations of Morphemes — Allomorphs...............................................................................14
4.1. Definition......................................................................................................................14
 4.2. Selection of Allomorphs:...................................................................................................14
4.3. Types of Allomorphs.........................................................................................................15
EXERCISES...................................................................................................................................16
EXTRA READING........................................................................................................................36

Unit two: DERIVATION AND INFLECTION....................................................................41

1. Derivation...........................................................................................................................41
1.1. Definition......................................................................................................................41
1.2. Types of Derivational Affixes......................................................................................41
1.3. Morphological rules...........................................................................................................41
2. Inflection.............................................................................................................................45
2.1. Definition......................................................................................................................45
2.2. Various Kinds of Inflection...............................................................................................45
3. How to distinguish Derivation from Inflection.................................................................46
3.1. Derivation.....................................................................................................................46
3.2. Inflection.......................................................................................................................47
EXERCISES...................................................................................................................................47

Unit three: IMMEDIATE CONSTITUENTS IN MORPHOLOGY.........................................65

1. Definition............................................................................................................................65
2. Some Recommendations on IC division..................................................................................66
3. Diagram....................................................................................................................................66
EXERCISES...................................................................................................................................67
Unit four: WORDS........................................................................................................................89
1. Definition..............................................................................................................................89
2. Characteristics............................................................................................................................89
2.1. Indivisibility........................................................................................................89
2.2. Internal stability and Positional mobility............................................................90
3. Classification..............................................................................................................................91
3.1. Classification of words according to their structure...................................................91
3.2. Classification of words according to their word-formation
processes: coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping,
acronymy, conversion, affixation and back-formation..................................................94
EXERCISES.................................................................................................................................109
EXTRA READING......................................................................................................................121
Answer keys......................................................................................................................................123
Bibliography......................................................................................................................................140
 NOTATIONAL SYMBOLS

Most of the symbols used in this text follow conventions, but since conventions vary,
the following list indicates the meanings assigned to them here.

n = noun
[U] = uncountable
[C] = countable pl
= plural
sing = singular adj
= adjective adv =
adverb prep =
preposition v = verb
phr v = phrasal verb
sth = something

sb = somebody
mono-trans = mono-transitive verb
complex trans = complex transitive verb
etc = et cetera meaning “and other similar things” or “and so on”
fig = figurative
esp = especially
usu = usually fml
= formal infml =
informal

derog = derogatory, insulting

attrib = attributive
pred = predicative
Brit = British
abbr = abbreviated

I = intransitive verb
Ipr = intransitive verb + prepositional phrase Ip
= intransitive verb + adverbial particle
La = linking verb + adjective (phrase)
Tn = transitive verb + noun (phrase)
Tn.pr = transitive verb + noun (phrase) + prepositional phrase Tn.p
= transitive verb + noun (phrase) + adverbial particle
Cn.t = complex transitive verb + noun (phrase) + to-infinitive
phrase
UNIT ONE

MORPHEMES

1. DEFINITION – CHARACTERISTICS
What is a morpheme?
 ‘A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit in a language.’
[Richards, Platt & Weber, 1987: 183]
 ‘A morpheme is a short segment of language that meets three criteria:
It is a word or part of a word that has meaning.
It cannot be divided into smaller meaningful parts without violation of
its meaning or without meaningless remainders.
It recurs in different verbal environments with a relatively stable meaning.’
[Stageberg, 1965:
85] Ex.1: The English word unkind consists of two morphemes: the base kind the
lexical meaning of which is ‘friendly and thoughtful to others’ and the prefix
un– the lexical meaning of which is ‘not’; the English word talks consists of
two morphemes: the base talk the lexical meaning of which is ‘say something’ and
the suffix –s, which has no lexical meaning and which is used
to show that the verb talks is in the third person singular present-tense form.
In other words, we can recognize a morpheme by either its lexical or its
grammatical meaning.
Ex.2: Straight is an English adjective meaning ‘without a bend or curve’. By
dividing straight, we get smaller meaningful units of trait /tre1t/, rate
/re1t/and ate/e1t/; but their meanings violate the meaning of straight. We also
get the meaningless remainders: /s–/, /st–/ and /str–/. Therefore, straight must be
considered a morpheme, the smallest meaningful unit in English.
Ex.3: Bright means ‘light’, and brighten means ‘make light’. This leads us to
conclude that –en means ‘make’. We also know that –en recurs with a stable
meaning in words like cheapen, darken, deepen, soften, stiffen, etc. Therefore,

–en must be considered a morpheme.

2. HOW TO DISTINGUISH MORPHEMES FROM PHONEMES, SYLLABLES AND
WORDS?
2.1. MORPHEMES vs. PHONEMES
A morpheme differs from a phoneme in that the former has meaning whereas
the latter does not. Although phonemes have no meaning, they have distinctive
features that help to distinguish meaning.
 Ex.1: The initial consonant of bitch is [aspirated] while that of pitch is [+
aspirated].
Ex.2: The vowel of pin is [+ close] and thus [ open] while that of pan is [+
open] and thus [close].
A morpheme may consist of only a single phoneme like the /–z/ in goes. But the
phoneme /z/ and this morpheme are by no means identical. The phoneme
/z/ occurs many times where it has nothing to do with this morpheme. For example, zoo
/zu:/ and rose /r6z/ both contain /z/ but the /z/ here has nothing to do with the
morpheme realized as /–z/ in goes.
Morphemes are generally short sequences of phonemes: the morpheme {of} consists
of two phonemes — / 4 / and / v /.
Most English morphemes are intermediate in size between {of} and
{strange} and consist of about two to six phonemes.
2.2. vs. SYLLABLES
MORPHEMES
A morpheme happens to be identical to a syllable, e.g. the morpheme
{strange} and the syllable /stre1nd2/; and so are many English morphemes.
However, any matches between morphemes and syllables are fortuitous. Many poly-
syllabic words are mono-morphemic.

E.g. lion /’laI6n/: two syllables – one morpheme

crocodile /’kr4k6da1l/: three syllables – one morpheme
Connecticut /k6’net1k6t/: four syllables – one morpheme
On the contrary, both /g6/ and /–z/ in goes /g6z/ are morphemes, though
altogether they are but a single syllable. That is, goes is mono-syllabic but poly-
morphemic.
Briefly, in some cases a morpheme may consist of one syllable or several whole
syllables. In other cases, it is only part of a syllable. In fact, to form a morpheme,
some phonemes are usually combined together without any regard to their status as
syllables.
In English, a morpheme is not identical with a syllable. The syllable is a
phonological unit whereas the morpheme is the basic unit in morphology.
2.3. MORPHEMES vs. WORDS
Words are made up of morphemes. In other words, morphemes are the
constituents of words.

A word may be composed of one or more morphemes:

One morpheme: boy, desire
 Two morphemes: boy + –ish, desir(e) + –able

Three morphemes: boy + –ish + –ness, desir(e) + –abil + –ity

Four morphemes: gentle + man + –li + –ness

un– + desir(e) + –abil– + –ity

More than four morphemes: un– + gentle + man + –li + –ness

anti– + dis– + establish + –ment + –ari + –an + –ism

3. CLASSIFICATION OF MORPHEMES
It is always found that morphemes can be grouped into certain classes, each with a
characteristic distribution. There are two basic classes of morphemes: free
morphemes and bound morphemes. Affixes are almost always bound whereas bases can
be either free or bound.
3.1. BOUND MORPHEMES vs. FREE MORPHEMES
3.1.1. FREE MORPHEMES

 A free morpheme is ‘one that can be uttered alone with meaning’.

[Stageberg, 1965: 87]
 A free morpheme ‘can be used on its own’.
[Richards, Platt & Weber, 1987: 31]
 Free morphemes ‘may stand alone as words in their own right, as well as enter
into the structure of other words’.
[Jackson, 1980: 53]
E.g. Drink is a free morpheme which occurs as a word on its own and as a free
base in drinkable, undrinkable, drinking-water, drinking-fountain, etc.

3.1.2. BOUND MORPHEMES

 A bound morpheme ‘cannot be uttered alone with meaning. It is always
annexed to one or more morphemes to form a word’.
[Stageberg, 1965: 87]
 A bound morpheme ‘is never used alone but must be used with another
morpheme’.
[Richards, Platt & Weber, 1987: 31]
 Bound morphemes ‘may occur only if they combine with another
morpheme’.
[Jackson, 1980: 53]
E.g. the English suffix –ing /–17/ must be used after a verb form: writing,
living, driving, etc.
 3.2. BASES (or ROOTS) vs. AFFIXES
3.2.1. A BASE (also called A ROOT) is ‘that morpheme in a word that has the
principal meaning’ [Stageberg, 1965: 87-88]. It is the central morpheme, the basic
part of a word. There are two kinds of bases:
A FREE BASE is a base ‘which may be a word on its own right once the other
morphemes have been stripped away’ [Jackson, 1980: 53].
E.g. break in unbreakable, act in deactivated, friend in friendship, etc.
A BOUND BASE is a base (i.e. it is the basic part of a word and has the
principal meaning) which can never occur on its own but can only be joined to other
bound morphemes.
E.g. The bound base of audience, audible, audition, auditory, auditorium, etc.
is audi–; that of suicide, patricide, matricide, infanticide, etc. is –cide; and that of
suspender, pendant, pendulum, etc. is –pend or pend–.
3.2.2. AN AFFIX is a morpheme (usually a bound morpheme) ‘that occurs
before or behind a base’ [Stageberg, 1965: 87].
3.2.2.1. Classified according to their POSITION in words, affixes have
three main subclasses:
 PREFIXES ‘occur before a base’ [Stageberg, 1965: 91] as in import,
prefix, reconsider, unkind, understate, over-react, etc.
 SUFFIXES ‘occur after a base’ [Stageberg, 1965: 92] as in shrinkage, noisy,
quickly, nails, dreamed, mouse-like, etc.
 INFIXES are inserted within words, e.g. the infix –um–in Tagalog,
which shows that a verb is in the past tense: sulat (to write) 
sumulat (wrote).
Affixes may be added directly to bases or to constructions consisting of a base
plus one or more (either free or bound) morphemes. Thus we have:
work + –s = works
worker + –s = workers
workshop + –s = workshops
3.2.2.2. Classified according to their FUNCTION in words, affixes have two
main subclasses:
 INFLECTIONAL AFFIXES, ‘which are always suffixes in English, perform a
grammatical function; they are representatives of grammatical categories’.
[Jackson, 1980: 53]
The only eight inflectional suffixes in English are:
 the noun plural morpheme {–S1}: book–s, apple–s, box–es, etc.

the noun possessive morpheme {–S2}: man–‘s, girl–‘s, students–‘,

Alice–‘s, etc.

the verb third person singular present tense morpheme {–S3}: walk–s,

find–s, mix–es, etc.

the verb present participle morpheme {–ing1}: play–ing, typ(e)–ing,

dig(g)–ing, etc.

the verb past simple morpheme {–D1}: flow–ed, work–ed, creat(e)–ed, drank,
broke, thought, show–ed, etc.

the verb past participle morpheme{–D2}: flow–ed, work–ed, creat(e)–ed,

drunk, broken, thought, show–n, etc.

the adjective or adverb comparative morpheme {–er1}: small–er, saf(e)–er,

thinn–er, long–er, fast–er, hard–er, etc.

the adjective or adverb superlative morpheme {–est1}: small–est, saf(e)–

est, thinn–est, long–est, fast–est, hard–est, etc.

 DERIVATIONAL AFFIXES, ‘which may be prefixes or suffixes in English,
have a lexical function; they create new words out of existing words or morphemes
by their addition’.
[Jackson, 1980: 53]
Derivational affixes may be of two kinds:
Class-changing derivational affixes change the word class of the word to
which they are attached: –al added to nation makes an adjective out of a noun.
Class-maintaining derivational affixes do not change the word class of the
word to which they are attached. Derivational prefixes are usually class-
maintaining: re–mark, dis–enthrone, un–refined, etc.
There is not usually more than one prefix in a word in English and from what
was said in the previous paragraphs, it is clear that English prefixes are always
derivational. There is never more than one inflectional suffix in English words and
it always comes last. A number of derivational suffixes may, however, occur.
Derivational suffixes need not close off a word; that is, after a derivational suffix one
can sometimes add another derivational suffix and can frequently add an inflectional
suffix. The relative order of morphemes in the English word is, then, as follows:
derivational prefix – base – derivational suffix(es) – inflectional suffix

Generally speaking, bases are central and affixes are peripheral. In

English, affixes are almost always bound morphemes and bases are nearly always
free.

4. VARIATIONS OF MORPHEMES — ALLOMORPHS

4.1. DEFINITION:
An allomorph is ‘any of the different forms of a morpheme’.
[Richards, Platt & Weber, 1987: 9]
E.g. In English, the inflectional noun plural morpheme {–S1} is often shown in
writing by adding –(e)s to the end of a singular noun, e.g. cat /k`t/  cats

/k`ts/. Sometimes this morpheme is pronounced /–z/, e.g. dog /d49/  dogs
/d49z/, and sometimes it is pronounced /–Iz/, e.g. box /b4ks /  box /’b4ks1z/. It is
believed that /–s/, /–z/, /–Iz/ are three allomorphs of the inflectional noun plural
morpheme {–S1} because:

They are in complementary distribution:

/–s / occurs only after the voiceless consonants /p, t, k, f, /;
/–Iz / occurs only after the sibilant consonants /s, Z, , 2, t, d2/;
/–z/ occurs after voiced sounds, including all vowels and voiced
consonants except /z/, /2/, and /d2/.
They all have the same meaning, either lexical or grammatical:

/–s/, /–z/, /–Iz/ all refer to ‘plurality’ and all mean ‘more than one’.
Thus, an allomorph can also be defined as a variant of a morpheme which occurs
in a certain definable environment. And a morpheme is a group of two or more
allomorphs which conform to certain, usually rather clearly definable, criteria of
distribution and meaning. The concept of morphemes and allomorphs is one of the
most basic in descriptive linguistics. Its importance both as a tool and as an insight
into the operation of language can hardly be underestimated.

4.2. SELECTION OF ALLOMORPHS:

The three allomorphs /–z/, /–s/ and /–Iz/ of the inflectional noun plural morpheme
{–S1} are phonologically conditioned since each can occur only when a certain clearly
defined condition occurs. In this case, the conditioning factor is the phonetic nature
of their preceding phoneme: /–s/ occurs only after the voiceless consonants /p, t, k, f,
/; /–Iz/ occurs only after the groove fricatives and
affricates /s, z, , 2, t, d2/; and /–z/ occurs only after voiced sounds, except the
three voiced sibilants /z, 2, d2/:
cat /k`t/ + –s /–s/ cats /k`ts/
voiceless
dog /d49/ + –s /–z/ dogs /d49z/
voiced
box /b4ks/ + –es /–1z / box /’b4ks1z/
sibilant

We may, therefore, say that /–s/, /–Iz/, and /–z/ are three phonologically
conditioned allomorphs of the inflectional noun plural morpheme {–S1}. This means
that, if we understand the facts of distribution, we can accurately predict which
of the three will occur in any place where any one of them could occur.
The selection of allomorphs may also be morphologically conditioned. In this
case, the selection is determined by the specific morpheme or morphemes forming the
context, rather than by any phonologic feature: the plural of ox
/4ks/ is oxen /‘4ks6n/; /–6n/ is a morphologically conditioned allomorph of

the inflectional noun plural morpheme {–S1} which is used with this stem /4ks/:

ox /4ks/ + –en /6n/  oxen

/‘4ks6n/ sibilant

If a morpheme has numerous allomorphs, as many do, it is awkward to

have a list of all of them every time the morpheme is mentioned. Instead, it is
desirable to have a single symbol to indicate a morpheme, comprehending all the
variant forms in which it can appear. For this purpose we use braces {}. The
braces {} indicate a morphemic representative in which one arbitrarily selected
symbol is used to represent each morpheme and comprehend all its allomorphs. It
does not directly give any information about pronunciation. For instance, {–S1} can
be used to refer to the inflectional noun plural morpheme and all of its allomorphs.
4.3. TYPES OF ALLOMORPHS
ADDITIVE ALLOMORPHS:
To signify some difference in meaning, something is added to a word. For
example, the past tense form of most English verbs is formed by adding the
suffix –ed which can be pronounced as either /–t/, or /–d/ or /–Id/: ask + –ed
/a:sk/ + /–t/, liv(e) + –ed /lIv/ + /–d/, need + –ed /ni:d/ + /–Id/.
REPLACIVE ALLOMORPHS:
To signify some difference in meaning, a sound is used to replace another sound
in a word. For example, the /1/ in drink is replaced by the /æ/ in drank to signal the
simple past. This is symbolized as follows:
/dr`7k/ = /dr17k/ + / 1 ` /.
SUBTRACTIVE ALLOMORPHS:
To signify some difference in meaning, something is deleted from a word. For
example, the letter a is deleted from zopa to signal that this Russian noun is in the
plural form of the possessive case.
SUPPLETIVE ALLOMORPHS:
To signify some difference in meaning, there is a complete change in the shape
of a word.
For example, go + the suppletive allomorph of {–D1} = went; be +
the suppletive allomorph of {–S3} = is;
bad + the suppletive allomorph of {–er1} = worse; good +
the suppletive allomorph of {–est1} = best.
THE ZERO ALLOMORPH:
There is no change in the shape of a word though some difference in meaning is
identified. For example, the past tense form of hurt is formed by adding the zero
allomorph of {–D1} to this word.

EXERCISES
A. THE EXERCISES OF MORPHEMES
EXERCISE 1: Identify the number of the morphemes in each of the given words.
Complete the table given below.

1 play 1 1 keeper
2 replay 2 (re– and play) 1 able
3 date 12 unable
4 antedate 31 mahogany 1
5 hygiene 41 rain
6 weak 51 rainy
6
7 weaken 1 cheap
8 man 71 cheaply 2 (cheap and –ly)
9 manly 81 cheaper
1 keep 29 honest
0 0
EXERCISE 2: Identify the bound morpheme(s) in of each of the given words.
Complete the table given below.

1 speaker –er 6 delivery

2 kingdom 7 interven inter–, –vene
3 phonemic 8 erevise
4 idolize 9 dreamed
5 selective 1 undone
0
EXERCISE 3: Underline the base in each of the given words. Complete the table
given below.

1 womanly 6 lighten 11 unlikely

2 endear 7 enlighten 12 pre-war
3 failure 8 friendship 13 subway
4 famous 9 befriend 14 falsify
5 infamous 1 Bostonian 1 unenlivened
0 5
EXERCISE 4:Identify the meaning of the affix in of each of the given words.
Complete the table given below.

1 antedate The prefix ante– means ‘before’.

2 replay
3 manly
4 keeper The suffix –er means ‘a person who …’.
5 unable
6 rainy
7 cheapest
8 subway
9 import
1 maltreat
0
 EXERCISE 5: Identify the meaning of the bound base in the given sets of words.
Complete the table given below.

audience, audible, audition

1 and auditorium The bound base audi– means ‘hear’.

suicide, patricide, matricide The bound base –cide means ‘killing’.

2 and infanticide
oral, orate, oration,
3 oracle and oratory
aquaplane, aquarium,
4 aquatic and aquaduct
mortuary, moribund, mortal
5 and immortal
corporation, corporeal,
6 corps and corpse

7 tenable, tenant, tenure and

tenacious
8 pendulum, suspender,
pendant and impending
manuscript, manacle,
9 manual and manicure
eject, inject, inject,
1 reject and projectile
0

NOTES:

1. The bound base audi– means ‘hear’.

- audible /‘0:d6bl/ adj that can be heard clearly: Her voice is

scarcely audible above the noise of the

wind.

- audibility /,0:d6‘b1l6t1/ n [U] capability of being heard clearly.

- audition /0:‘d1~n/ n [C] trial hearing of a person who wants
to perform as an actor, a singer, a
musician, etc.: I’m going to the audition
but I don’t expect I’ll get a part.
- audition v 1. [I] take part in an audition: Which part
are you auditioning for? 2. [Tn] give an
audition to sb: None of the
actresses we auditioned is suitable.
 - auditory /‘0:d6tr1/ adj of or concerned with hearing: the
auditory nerve.

- auditorium /,0:d1‘t0:r16m/ n (pl~s) part of a theatre, concert hall,

etc. in which an audience sits.
2. The bound base –cide means ‘killing’.
- suicide /‘sju:sa1d/ n 1. [U] killing oneself intentionally: to
commit suicide; 2. [C] act of this: There
have been three suicides this week.

- patricide /‘p`tr1sa1d/ n 1. [U, C] (act of) killing one’s own

father: to commit patricide; 2. [C]
person who guilty of this.

- matricide /‘m`tr1sa1d/ n 1. [C, U] (act of) killing one’s own

mother: to commit matricide; 2. [C]
person who does this.

- infanticide /1n‘f`nt1sa1d/ n 1. [U] crime of killing an infant: to

commit infanticide; 2. [C] person who
kills an infant.

3. The bound base ora– means ‘mouth’ or ‘speak’.

- oration /4‘re1~n/ n [C] formal speech made on a public
occasion esp as part of a ceremony: a
funeral oration.

- oracle /‘4r6kl/ n [C] priest(ess) giving the answers: to

consult the oracle.
- oratory /‘4r6tr1/ n [U] (art of) public speaking, esp when
used skilfully to affect an audience:
Some politicians are famous for their
oratory.
- orator /‘4r6t6/ n (fml) (a) person who makes formal
speeches in public;
(b) person who is good at public
speaking.
4. The bound base aqua– or aque–means ‘water’.
- aquaplane /‘`kw6ple1n/ n [C] board on which a person stands
while being towed across water by a
ship or boat.
 - aqueduct /‘`kw1dkt/ n [C] structure for carrying water across
country, esp one built like a bridge over a
valley or low ground.
- aqueous /‘e1kw16s/ adj of or like water, produced by water:
chemicals dissolved in an aqueous solution.

- aquarium /6‘kwe6r16m/ n [C] (building containing an) artificial

pond or glass where live fish and other
water creatures and plants are kept.
- aquatic /6‘kw`t1k/ adj [usu attrib] 1. (of plants, animals, etc.)
growing or living in or near water:
Many forms of aquatic life inhabit
ponds. 2. (of sports) taking place on or in
water: Swimming and water-skiing are
both aquatic sports.

5. The bound base mor(t)– means ‘death’ or ‘dead’.

- mortuary /‘m0:t~6r1/ n [C] room or building (e.g. part of a
hospital) in which dead bodies are kept
before being buried or cremated.

adj [attrib] (fml) of death or

burial:
- mortal adj that must be die; fatal; causing death: a
mortal wound/ injury.
n [C] human being: ordinary mortals.
- immortal /‘m0:tl/ adj living for ever, that will not be dead.
n [C] immortal being, god.
- moribund /‘m4r1bnd/ adj at the point of death; about to come to
an end: a moribund civilization,

industry or custom.

6. The bound base corp– means either ‘the whole physical body of a human being
or an animal’ or ‘group of people working or acting as a unit’.
- corps /k0:(r)/ n (pl unchanged /k0:(r)z/) [CGp] 1. (a)
military force made up of two or more
th
divisions: the 6 Army Corps (b) one of
the technical branches of an army: the
 Royal Army Medical Corps; 2. a group of
people involved in a particular activity:
the Diplomatic Corps, the press corps.

- corpse /k0:ps/ n [C] dead body esp of a human being.

- corporation /,k0:p6‘re1~n/ n [CGp] 1. group of people authorised to
act as an individual, e.g. for business
purposes. 2. group of people elected to
govern a town; council.
- corporeal /k0:‘p0:r16l/ adj of or for the body; material; bodily.
7. The bound base ten– means ‘hold’.
- tenable (for…) adj [pred] (of an office or position) that can be
held for a certain time: The
lectureship is tenable for a period of three
years.
- tenant n [C] 1. person who pays rent to a
landlord/ landlady for the use of a room,
a piece of land, etc.; 2. person who
occupies a particular building or piece of
land but does not own it.
- tenure /‘tenj6/ n [U] holding of an office, a piece of land or
other property.
- tenacious /te‘ne1~6s/ adj resolute; keeping a firm hold on
property, principles, life, etc: She’s
tenacious in defence of her rights.

8. The bound base pend– means ‘hang’.

- pendulum /‘pendjl6m/ n [C] weight hung on a cord from a fixed
point so that it can swing freely.
- pendant /‘pend6nt/ n [C] ornament that hangs from a chain
worn round the neck.
- suspender /s6s‘pend6(r)/ n 1. [C esp pl] (Brit) short elastic strap
for holding up a sock or stocking by its
top; 2. suspenders [pl] (US) = braces.
- impending /1m‘pend17/ adj about to happen: his impending
retirement, visit, arrival, departure, etc.
9. The bound base man– means ‘hand’.
- manicure /‘m`n1kj6(r)/ n [U, C] treatment for the hands and
finger nails: have a manicure once a week;
do a course in manicure.

- manuscript /‘m`njskr1p/ n (abbr MS) 1. thing written by hand:

[attrib] a manuscript copy of a typed
letter; 2. author’s written or typed work
which has not been printed yet: submit a
manuscript to an editor.

- manacle /‘m`n6kl/ n (usu pl) one of a pair of chains or metal

bands for binding the hands or feet.
- manual /‘m`nj6l/ adj done with or controlled by the hands:
manual labor; n [C] keyboard of an
organ, played with the hands.

10. The bound base ject– means ‘throw’ or ‘shoot’.

10.1. The prefix emeans ‘out(ward)’:
- eject (from sth) v 1. [Tn, Tn.pr] sb/sth (from sth) (fml)
force sb/sth out, expel sb/sth: The noisy
youths were ejected from the cenima; 2
[Tn] send (sth) out, usu violently or
suddenly: lava ejected from a volcano; 3 [I,
Ipr]  (from sth) be thrown quickly
from an aircraft in an emergency, so that
one can descend by parachute: As
the plane fell quickly toward the ground,
the pilot had to eject.

10.2. The prefix inmeans ‘in(ward)’ or ‘into’:

- inject v [Tn, Tn.pr] sth (into sb/sth); 
sb/sth (with sth) force (a drug or other
liquid) into sb/sth with a syringe or
similar implement: inject peniciline into
sb’s arm, leg, etc.
10.3. The prefix pro means ‘forward’:
- project v 1. [I, Tn, Tn.pr] sth (into sth); send
or throw sth outward or forward: an
apparatus to project missiles into space.
 - projectile /pr6‘d2ekta1l/ n [C] object to be shot forward, esp from
a gun;
adj 1. that can be sent forward through the air,
water: projectile missiles; 2. that can send
objects: projectile force.

10.4. The prefix remeans ‘back(ward)’:

- reject v 1. [Tn] refuse to accept (sb/sth): He
rejected my job; 2. [Tn] put (sth) aside,
throw (sth) away as not to be used,
chosen, done, etc: reject over-ripe fruit.
EXERCISE 6: Identify the meaning of the bound base in each of the given words
and then give as many words with the same bound base as you can. Complete the
table given below.

1 revise –vise = ‘see’ devise, visible, visionary, (tele)vision,

visibility, (audio-)visual, supervise, etc.
contradic dictate, dictator, dictation, diction, dictum,
2 –dict = contradict, contradiction, contradictory,
t ‘say’ contradictorily, etc.

3 regress

4 intervene

5 recur

6 inspect

7 oppose

8 rodent
9 portable

1 rupture
0

1 annual
1

1 bigamy
2

NOTES:

1. The bound base –vise/ vis– means ‘see’.

- revise v [Tn] re-examine sth in order to
improve or correct it: revise
a
manuscript before publication.
- devise v [Tn] think out (a plan, a system, a tool,
etc); invent: devise a scheme for
redeveloping the city center.

- vision n [U] power of seeing, sight: have

a perfect vision, poor, blurred, etc.
vision.
- visionary adj having or showing foresight or wisdom:
visionary leaders, writers, paintings,
ideals, etc.
- visible adj  (to sb/sth) that can be seen, in sight:
The hills were barely visible through
the mist.

- visibility n [U] fact or state of being seen.

- visual adj concerned with or used in seeing:
visual images, effects, etc.

- audio-visual adj using both sight and sound: audio-

visual centers.

2. The bound base –dict/ dict– means ‘say’.

- contradict /,k4ntr6‘d1kt/ v 1. [I, Tn] say sth that conflicts with
(sth said or written) by (sb): That is
 true but don’t you dare contradict (me)?;
2. [Tn] (of facts, evidence, etc) be contrary
to sth; conflict with: The two statements
contradict each other.
- dictate sth v [I, Ipr, Tn, Tn.pr] (sth) to (sb) say or
read aloud (words to be typed, written
down or recorded on tape): The teacher
dictate a letter the class.
- diction n [U] style or manner of speaking or
(sometimes) writing: Clarity of diction
is visual for a public speaker.
- dictum n (pl s or –ta /–t6/) saying; maxim: ‘Knowledge is power’ is
a well-known dictum.
- dictionary n [C] book the lists and explains the words
of a language: an English dictionary.

3. The bound base –gress means ‘go’.

- regress v [I, Ipr] (sth) (fml) return to/ cause
(sth) to go back to an earlier or more
primitive state or form.
- regressive adj making a continuous backward movement.
- regression n [U] moving backward.
- progress /’pr6gres/n [U] onward or forward movement: The
walkers were making slow progress up the
rocky path.

- progress /pr6’gres/ v [I] cause (sth) to move forward: The

work is progressing steadily.

- progressive /pr6’gres1v/ adj making a continuous forward movement:

a progressive step.

- progression /pr6’gre∫n/n [U]  (from sth)  (to sth)

moving
forward, developing.
- egress /’1: gres/ n 1. [U] (law) (right of) going out; 2. [C]
(dated fml) way out, exit: a means of
egress.
 - ingress /’17gres/ n [U] (fml) going in; (right of) entrance: a
means of ingress

4. The bound base –vene means ‘come’.

- intervene /,1nt6’vi:n/ v [I] come between others in time:
during the years that intervene.

- intervening adj coming between: when she came back, she

found that much had changed in the
intervening years.
- convene /k6n’vi:n/ v 1. [Tn] summon (people) to come
together: convene the members; 2. [I]
come together (for a meeting, etc): The
tribunal will convene tomorrow.

- contravene /,k4ntr6’vi:n/ v [Tn] act or be contrary to (a law, etc),

break (a law, etc): You are contravening

the regulations.

- supervene /,sju:p6’vi:n/ v [I] (fml) occur as an interruption or

change: She was working well until

illness supervened.

5. The bound base –cur means ‘run’.

- recur /r1‘k3:(r)/ v [I] occur again, happen repeatedly: a
recurring problem, error, illness.
- recurrence /r1‘k3:r6ns/ n [C, N] (instance of) recurring; repetition:
the recurrence of an illness, problem,

error.

- current /‘kr6nt/ adj happening now, of the present time:

current issues, problems, prices.

- current /‘kr6nt/ n [C] movement of water, air, etc flowing

in a certain direction:
- currency /‘kr6ns1/ n [U, C] money system in use in a
country: gold, paper currency; trading in
foreign currencies; a strong currency.

6. The bound base –spect means ‘look’.

- inspect /in‘spekt/ v [Tn] examine (sth) closely: The customs
officer inspected my passport suspiciously.
 - spectacles /‘spekt6klz/ n [pl] (usu fml) specs = glasses = a pair of
lenses in a frame used to help a person
eyesight.
- spectacle n [C] impressive, remarkable or interesting
sight: The sunrise seen from high in the
mountains was a tremendous spectacle.
- prospect /‘pr4spekt/ n [C] 1. (dated) wide view of a landscape: a
magnificent prospect of mountain peaks
and lakes;
2. picture in the mind or imagination, esp.
of a future event: She viewed the
prospect of a week alone in the house
without much enthusiasm.

- prospect /pr6‘spekt/ v [I, Ipr]  (for sth) search for mineral,

oil, etc: a licence to prospect in the
northern territory; The company are
prospecting for gold in that area.

- perspective /p6‘spekt1v/ n [C] view, esp. one stretching into the

distance: get a perspective of the whole

valley.

- prospectus /pr4‘spekt6s/ n [C] printed document, leaflet, etc.

giving details of and advertising sth:
prospectus from several universities.

7. The bound base –pose means ‘place’ or ‘put’.

- oppose v [Tn.pr] sth to/ against sth put
forward as a contrast or opposite to sth
else: Do not oppose your will against
mine.
- depose v [Tn] = dethrone = remove a ruler, a king,
etc from power.
- propose v [Tn] put forward sth for consideration:
The committee proposed that new
legislation should be drafted.
- deposit v [Tn] put money into a bank, esp to earn
interest: The cheque was only
deposited yesterday, so it hasn’t been
cleared yet.
 - impose v [Tn] place (sth unwelcome or unpleasant) on
sb/sth: impose restriction, limitations,
restraints, etc (on trade).
8. The bound base –rod/ rod– means ‘gnaw’.
- rodent /‘r6dnt/ n [C] animal which gnaws things with
strong teeth.
- erode v [Tn esp passive] (of acids, rain, wind,
etc) destroy or wear (sth) away gradually:
Metals are eroded by acids.
- erosion n [U] process of eroding or being eroded:
the erosion of the coastline by the sea.

- erosive adj having a tendency to be eroded.

9. The bound base –port/ port– means ‘carry’.
- portable adj that can be carried by hand: a portable
television set.
- deport /d1‘p0:t/ v [Tn, Tn.pr]  sb (from …) legally force
(a foreigner, criminal, etc) to leave a
country: He was convicted of drug offences
and deported.
- transport v [Tn, Tn.pr] sb/sth (from …) (to …)
carry or take sth/sb from one place to
another in a vehicle: transport goods by
lorry.

- portage n [U] (cost of) carrying goods.

10. The bound base –rupt/ rupt– means ‘break’.
- rupture n [U, C] (fml) (instance of) breaking apart:
the rupture of a blood-vessel,
seed-pod, membrane.
- erupt v [I] (of a volcano) break out: This volcano
has erupted twice this year.
- abrupt adj (of speech) not smooth, disconnected,
disjoined: short and abrupt sentences.
- corrupt adj (of languages, texts, etc) containing errors or
changes: a corrupt manuscript.
 - interrupt v [Tn] break the continuity of sth
temporarily: Trade between the two
countries was interrupted by the war.

11. The bound base ann– means ‘year’.

- annual adj yearly.
- annuity /6‘nju:6t1/ n [C] fixed sum of money paid to sb
yearly.

- annuitant /6‘nju:6t6nt/ n [C] person who receives an annuity.

- anniversary n [C] yearly return of the date of an
event; celebration of this.
12. The bound base –gamy means ‘marriage’.
- bigamy / ‘b1g6m1/ n [U] custom of having two wives or
husbands living.
- polygamy /p6‘l1g6m1/ n [U] custom of having more than one
wife at the same time.
EXERCISE 7: Which of the following items is an English word? Support your
choice?
(1) ationizealnationde (ation–ize–al–nation–de)
(2) alizedeationnation (al–ize–de–ation–nation)
(3) denationalization (de–nation–al–ize–ation)
ANSWER:

Among the three items mentioned above, only (3) is an English word.
The order of morphemes in English words is:

derivational prefix base derivational suffix(es) inflectional suffix

Analysing (3) we find out that the following morphemes are in correct
order: ‘de’ is a prefix meaning ‘doing the opposite of’
‘nation’ is the free base, which is a noun.

‘al’ is a derivational class-changing adjective-forming suffix

‘ize’ is a derivational class-changing verb-forming suffix ‘ation’
is a derivational class-changing noun-forming suffix
This morphemic analysis proves that (3) is an English word. The items numbered (1)
and (2) are not because their constituents are not arranged in the above-mentioned
order. The arrangements of the constituents in (1) and (2)
break all the rules concerning the internal stability and uninterruptability of
English words.
In other words, it is impossible to divide English words by the insertion of any
other elements. Also, English word formation does not enable us to move a certain
morpheme in a word to any position we like.
In conclusion, our conscious knowledge of the English language allows us to
identify (3), not (1) or (2), as an English word.

B. THE EXERCISES OF ALLOMORPHS

EXERCISE 8: Explain why ‘a’ and ‘an’ are two allomorphs of the same morpheme.

EXERCISE 9: Identify the allomorphs of the inflectional verb past simple

morpheme {D1} in the verb ‘be’. How are they conditioned?

EXERCISE 10: What are homophones? Give examples. Do they belong to the same
morpheme?
 ANSWER:

Homophones are commonly used to refer to words which sound alike but
have different meanings.
 Homophones may have different written forms: the verb mete (in mete sth out
meaning ‘give or administer punishment, rewards, etc.’), the verb meet (‘come
face to face with sb’) and the noun meat (‘flesh of animals, esp. mammals,
used as food’) are all pronounced as /mi:t/; the second person pronoun you and the
noun ewe (‘female sheep’) are both pronounced as /ju:/; etc.
Homophones may have the same written form: the adverb too1 (‘more than should
be’) and the adverb too2 (‘also’) are both pronounced as /tu:/; the noun
bear (‘large heavy animal with thick fur’), the verb bear1 (‘give birth to’) and the
verb bear2 (‘tolerate’) are all pronounced as /be6(r)/; etc.
Homophones may also be allomorphs of different morphemes. Compare the
allomorph /z/ of the noun plural inflectional suffix {S1} like in those frogs
(1) with that of the noun possessive inflectional suffix {S2} like in John’s book (2)
and with that of the verb inflectional suffix {S3} like in It feels good (3).
The two above illustrations show that homophones can never belong to the same
morpheme.
EXERCISE 11: Identify the following homophones and try to look for a few more
appropriate examples to illustrate their distinction.
(1)a. The inflectional verb past participle morpheme {D2}: the departed guests,
edited manuscripts.
(1)b. The derivational class-changing adjective-forming morpheme {D3}: a very
devoted wife; a rather neglected girl; he was even more excited than I
(was).
(2)a. The inflectional verb present participle morpheme {ing1}: I saw a
house burning; I saw a burning house.
(2)b. The derivational class-changing noun-forming morpheme {ing2}:
droppings (n., pl) = excrement of birds or animals; findings (n., pl) =
things that are discovered as the result of an (official) inquiry; He
attended the meeting; I make my living by teaching.
(2)c. The derivational class-changing adjective-forming morpheme {ing3}: a very
exciting film; you can’t expect a more charming companion than he.
(3)a. The derivational class-changing adverb-forming morpheme {ly1}:
complete (adj.) + ly completely (adv.);
happy (adj.) + ly  happily (adv.).
(3)b. The derivational class-changing adjective-forming morpheme {ly2}:
coward (n.) + ly  cowardly (adj.);
gentleman (n.) + ly  gentlemanly (adj.).
(4)a. The inflectional adjective comparative morpheme {er1}: tall
(positive adj.) + er  taller (comparative adj.);
happy (positive adj.) + er  happier (comparative adj.).
 (4)b. The derivational class-changing noun-forming morpheme {er2}: read
(verb) + er reader (noun);
teach (verb) + er teacher (noun).
(4)c. The derivational class-changing verb-forming morpheme {er3}: chat
(noun) + er chatter (verb);
wit (noun) + er witter (verb).

NOTES:

chat /t`t/ n [C, U] friendly informal conversation: I

had a long chat with her (about her
job); That’s enough chat — get back to
work.
chatter /‘t`t6(r)/ v [I, Ipr, Ip] (away/on) (about sth) talk
quickly, continuously or foolishly about
unimportant matters: Do stop chattering
on about the weather while I’m trying to
read.
wit /w1t/ n [U] ability to combine words, ideas, etc. so
as to produce a clever type of humor: I
admire her for her wit;
[C] person who has or is famous for
this, witty person: a well-known wit.
witter /‘w1t6(r)/ v [I, Ipr, Ip] (on) (about sth) (infml, usu
derog) speak in a lenthy and annoying
way about sth unimportant: What are
you wittering (on) about?
EXERCISE 12: Give the morphemic structure of each of the following words.
Identify the allomorph of the inflectional suffix in each word. How are the allomorphs
involved conditioned? (morphologically or phonologically?)

1. ox oxen /‘4ks6n/ = /4ks/ + /6n/

/‘4ksn/ = /4ks/ + /n/
/6n/ or /n/ is a morphologically conditioned additive allomorph of the
inflectional noun plural morpheme {S1}.

2. brother  brethren /‘bre5r6n/ = /‘br5r6  ‘bre5r/

+
/6n/
child children /‘t~1ldr6n/ = /t~a1ld  ‘t~1ldr/ +
/
6n/
/6n/ is a morphologically conditioned additive allomorph of the inflectional
noun plural morpheme {S1}. It is added to a stem which has previously undergone
some change in form: from /‘br56/ to /bre5r/ or from /t~a1ld/ to

/t~1ldr/.
 In other words, /6n/ is added to the allomorph /t~1ldr/ of the morpheme
{child} or the allomorph /bre5r/ of the morpheme {brother}.
3. deer deer /d16/ = /d16/ + / - /
sheep sheep /~i:p / = /~i:p/ + / - /
/-/ is the morphologically conditioned zero allomorph of the inflectional noun plural
morpheme {S1}.
The following group of names of edible animals, game animals, fish and birds
also takes the zero allomorph of {S1}: SWINE, BEAR, ANTELOPE, BASS, PIKE,
CARP, PERCH, PICKEREL, QUAIL and GROUSE.

4. man men /men/ = /m`n/ + / ` e /

goose geese /gi:s/ = /gu:s/ + /u: i:/
/`  e/ and /u:i:/ are two morphologically conditioned replacive
allomorphs of the inflectional noun plural morpheme {S1}.

The following limited group of nouns also takes a replacive allomorph:

WOMAN  WOMEN, TOOTH  TEETH, FOOT  FEET, LOUSE  LICE and MOUSE 

MICE.

5. wolf wolves /wlvz/ = / wlf wlv/ +

/z/ calf calves /ka:vz/ = / ka:f ka:v/ +
/z/ mouth mouths /ma5z/ = /mama5/
+ /z/ path  paths /pa:5z/ = / pa: pa:5/
+ /z/
In the above cases, before the phonologically conditioned additive allomorph
/z/ of the inflectional noun plural morpheme {S1} is added to change a singular
noun to a plural noun, that singular noun has previously undergone some change in
form: from /wlf/ to /wlv/, from /ka:f/ to /ka:v/, from /ma/ to /ma5/ or
from /pa:/ to /pa:5/.
In other words, /z/ is added to the second allomorph of the stem: /wlv/,
/ka:v/, /ma5/ and /pa:5/. Some common nouns that may have the same
analysis are: WIFE  WIVES, KNIFE KNIVES, HALF  HALVES, SHELF
 SHELVES,
SCARF  SCARVES, BATH  BATHS, LOAF  LOAVES, SELF  SELVES,
OATH 

OATHS, etc.

6. house  houses /haz1z/ = /has  haz/ + /1z/

/Iz/ is a phonologically conditioned additive allomorph of {S1} which occurs
after one of the sibilant consonants /s/, /z/, /~/, /2/, /t~/, or /d2/.

7. hurt  hurt /h3:t/ = /h3:t/ + / - /

put put /pt/ = /pt/ + / - /
/-/ is the morphologically conditioned zero allomorph of either the inflectional
verb past simple morpheme {D1} or the inflectional verb past participle morpheme
{D2}.

8. drink  drunk /dr7k/ = /dr17k / + /1 /

/1 / is a morphologically conditioned replactive allomorph of the
inflectional verb past participle morpheme {D2}.

9. break broken /‘br6k6n/ = /bre1k br6k/ + /6n/

/‘br6kn/ = /bre1k  br6k/ +
/n/ speak spoken /‘sp6k6n/ = /spi:k  sp6k/ +
/6n/
/‘sp6kn/ = /spi:k  sp6k/ + /n/
/6n/ or /n/ is a morphologically conditioned additive allomorph of the
inflectional verb past participle morpheme {D2}. It is added to a stem which has
previously undergone some change in form from /bre1k/ to /br6k/ or from /spi:k/
to /sp6k/.

10. go  went
/went/ = /g6/ + the morphologically conditioned suppletive allomorph of the
inflectional verb past tense morpheme {D1}.

11. wash washes /‘w4~1z/ = /w4~/ + /1z/

switch switches /‘sw1t~1z/ = /sw1t~/ + /1z/
/1z/ is a phonologically conditioned additive allomorph of either the
inflectional noun plural morpheme {S1} or the inflectional verb present tense third
person singular morpheme {S3}. The allomorph /1z/ only occurs after one of the
sibilant consonants /s/, /z/, /~/, /2/, /t~/ or /d2/.
12. see saw /s0:/ = /si:/ + /i:  0:/
begin began /b6‘9`n/ = /b6‘91n/ + /1
 `/ bite  bit /b1t/ = /ba1t/
+ /a1 1/
give gave /9e1v/ = /91v/ + /1 e1/
 /i: 0:/, /1  `/, /a1  1/ and /1  e1/ are morphologically
conditioned replacive allomorphs of the inflectional verb past tense morpheme {D1}.

EXERCISE 13: Write the base morpheme and its allomorphs in each case.
How are the allomorphs conditioned?
1. house /has/, houses /haz/ + /1z/
The base morpheme {house} has two morphologically conditioned allomorphs,
/has/ and /haz/, according to context: /has/ occurs when there is no other
morpheme occurring; /haz/ occurs in combination with /1z/, a phonologically
conditioned additive allomorph of the inflectional noun plural morpheme {S1}.

2. child /t~a1ld/, children /‘t~1ldr/ + /6n/

The base morpheme {child} has two morphologically conditioned allomorphs,
/t~a1ld/ and /‘t~1ldr/, according to context: /t~a1ld/ occurs when there is no other
morpheme occurring; /‘t~1ldr/ occurs in combination with

/6n/, a morphologically conditioned additive allomorph of {S1}.

3. strong /str47/, strength /stre7/ + //

The base morpheme {strong} has two morphologically conditioned allomorphs,
/str47/ and /stre7/, according to context: /str47/ occurs when there is no other
morpheme occurring; /stre7/ occurs in combination with th //, a derivational
class-changing noun-forming suffix.
wide /wa1d/ width /w1t/ +
// broad /br4:d/ breadth /bret/ + //
able /‘e1bl/ ability /6‘b1l/ + /6t1/
divine /d6‘va1n/ divinity /d6‘v1n/ +
/6t1/
supreme /s6‘pri:m/ supremacy /s6‘prem6/ + /s1/
4. atom /‘`t6m/, atomic /6‘t4m/ + /1k/
The base morpheme {atom} has two morphologically conditioned allomorphs,
/‘`t6m/ and /6‘t4m/, according to context: /‘`tm/ occurs when there is no other
morpheme occurring; /6‘t4m/ occurs in combination with ic

/1k/, a derivational class-changing adjective-forming suffix.

feast /fi:st/ festive /fest/ + /1v/

destroy /d6‘str01/ destructive /d6‘strkt / +
offend /6‘fend/ offensive /1v/
/6‘fens/ + /1v/
repeat /r6‘pi:t/ repetitive /r6‘pet6t/ +
/1v/
 sympathy /‘s1mp61/ sympathetic /,s1mp6‘et/ + /1k/
energy /‘en6d21/ energetic /,en6‘d2et/ + /1k/
5. do /du:/, does /d/ + /z/
The base morpheme {do} has two morphologically conditioned allomorphs,
/du:/ and /d/, according to context: /du:/ occurs when there is no other morpheme
occurring; /d/ occurs in combination with /z/, a phonologically conditioned
additive allomorph of the inflectional verb present tense third person singular
morpheme {S3}.

6. have /h`v/, has /h`/ + /z/

The base morpheme {have} has two morphologically conditioned allomorphs,
/h`v/ and /h`/, according to context: /h`v/ occurs when there is no other morpheme
occurring; /h`/ occurs in combination with /z/, a phonologically conditioned additive
allomorph of the inflectional verb present tense third person singular morpheme
{S3}.

7. fame /‘fe1m/ infamous /‘1nf6m6s/

famous /‘fe1m/ + /6s/ infamy /‘1nf6m1/
The base morpheme {fame} has two phonologically conditioned allomorphs,

/feIm/ and /f6m/, according to context: /feIm/ occurs in primarily stressed syllables;
/f6m/ occurs in unstressed syllables.

EXTRA READING

The Allomorphs of the Inflectional Noun Plural Morpheme {S1}

1. Three phonologically conditioned (= regular) additive allomorphs:
1.1. /s/ occurs after the voiceless consonants /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/ and //: cat
 cats /k`ts/ = /k`t/ + /s/
1.2. /1z/ occurs after the sibilant consonants /s/, /z/, /~/, /2/, /t~/ and
/d2/:
class classes /‘kla:s1z/ = /kla:s/ + /1z/
1.3. /z/ occurs after all vowels, which are always voiced, and other
voiced consonants except /z/, /2/, and /d2/:
chair  chairs /t~e6z/ = /t~e6/ + /z/
arm arms /a:mz/ = /a:m/ + /z/
2. The phonologically conditioned (= regular) additive allomorph /z/ is added to a
stem that has previously undergone some change in form (with consonant change):
calf calves /ka:vz / = /ka:f/ + /f v/ + /z/
bath baths /ba:5z/ = /ba:/ + /5/
+ /z/

3. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) zero allomorph /-/:

sheep sheep /~i:p/ = /~i:p/ + / - /
4. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) replacive allomorph (with vowel
change):
foot feet /fi:t/ = /ft/
+ /i:/ tooth teeth /ti:/ =
/tu:/ + /u: i:/
man men /men/ = /m`n/ + /` e/
woman women /‘w1m1n/ = /‘wm6n/ + /1/ and /6 1/
5. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) additive allomorph:
5.1. /6n/ is simply added to the stem: ox
oxen /‘4ks6n/ = /4ks/ + /6n/
5.2. /6n/ is added to the stem that has previously undergone some
change in form:
child  children /‘t~1ldr6n/ = /t~a1ld  ‘t~1ldr/ +
/
6n/ brother brethren /‘bre5r6n/ = /‘br5r6  ‘bre5r/ +

/
6n/

The Allomorphs of the Inflectional Verb Past Simple Morpheme {D1}

1. Three phonologically conditioned (= regular) additive allomorphs:
1.1. /1d/ occurs after the alveolar oral stop /t/ or /d/:
want wanted /‘w4nt1d/ = / w4nt/ + /1d/ need
needed /‘ni:d1d/ = /ni:d/ + /1d/
1.2. /t/ occurs after other voiceless sounds:
fix  fixed /f1kst/ = /f1ks/ + /t/
wash washed /‘w4~t/ = /w4~/+ /t/ switch
switched /‘sw1t~t/ = /sw1t~/ + /t/

1.3. /d/ occurs after other voiced sounds: pull

 pulled /pld/ = /pl/ +
/d/
change changed /t~e1nd2d/ = /t~e1nd2/ + /d/ fire
 fired /fa16d/ = /fa16/ + /d/
 show showed /~6d/ = /~6/+ /d/
2. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) zero allomorph /-/:
hurt hurt /h3:t/ = /h3:t/ + /-/
put  put /pt/ = /pt/ +
/-/ beat  beat /bi:t/ = /bi:t/ +
/-/
3. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) additive allomorph:
dwell  dwelt /dwelt/ = /dwel/ + /t/
burn burnt /b3:nt/ = /b3:nt/ + /t/
4. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) replacive allomorph
4.1. with vowel change:
tear  tore /t0:/ = /te6/ + /e6 0:/
find found /fand/ = /fa1nd/ + /a1
a/ run  ran /r`n/ = /rn/ + /  `/
ring  rang /r`7/ = /r17/ + /1  `/
choose chose /t~6z/ = /t~u:z/ + /u:  6/
4.2. with consonant change:
send sent /sent/ = /send/ + /d t/
build  built /bju:lt/ = /bju:ld/ + /d
t/
4.3. with both vowel and consonant change:
catch caught /k0:t/ = /k`t~/ + /` 0:/ and /t~ t/
bring brought /br0:t/ = /br17/ + /1 0:/ and /7 t/
seek sought /s0:t/ = /si:k/ + /i: 0:/ and /k t/
5. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) replacive allomorph + the
morphologically conditioned (= irregular) additive allomorph
5.1. with vowel change:
tell  told /t6ld/ = /tel/ + /e  6/ +
/d/ do did /d1d/ = /du:/ + /u: 1/
+ /d/
hear heard /h3:d/ = /h16/ + /16 3:/ + /d/
buy bought /b0:t/ = /ba1/ + /a1 0:/ + /t/
feel felt /felt/ = /fi:l/ + /i: e/ + /t/
5.2. with both vowel and consonant change:
leave left /left/ = /li:v/ + /i:  e/ and /v  f/ + /t/
6. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) suppletive allomorph: go
/96/ + the suppletive allomorph of {D1} = went /went/
be /bi:/ + the suppletive allomorph of {D1} = was /w4z/ or were /w3:/

The Allomorphs of the Inflectional Verb Past Participle Morpheme {D2}

1. Three phonologically conditioned (= regular) additive allomorphs: /1d/, /t/ and
/d/. (See ‘three phonologically conditioned additive allomorphs of
{D1}’.)
2. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) zero allomorph / - /:
hurt hurt /h3:t/ = /h3:t/ + / - /
put put /pt/ = /pt/ + / -
/ run run /rn/ = /rn/ + / -
/

3. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) additive allomorph:

dwell  dwelt /dwelt/ = /dwel/ + /t/
be been /bi:n/ = /bi:/ + /n/

show shown /~6n/ = /~6/ +

/n/ beat  beaten /bi:tn/ = /bi:t/ + /n/

4. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) replacive allomorph:

4.1. with vowel change:
find  found /fand/ = /fa1nd/ + /a1
 a/ read  read /red/ = /ri:d/ + /i:
 e/
ring rung /r7/ = /r17/ + /1 /
4.2. with consonant change:
send sent /sent/ = /send/ + /d t/
build  built /bju:lt/ = /bju:ld/ + /d
t/
4.3. with both vowel and consonant change:
catch caught /k0:t/ = /k`t~/ + /` 0:/ and /t~ t/
bring brought /br0:t/ = /br17/ + /1 0:/ and /7 t/
seek sought /s0:t/ = /si:k/ + /i: 0:/ and /k t/
5. The morphologically conditioned (= irregular) replacive allomorph + the
morphologically conditioned (= irregular) additive allomorph:
5.1. with vowel change:
tell  told /t6ld/ = /tel/ + /e 6/ + /d/
hear  heard /h3:d/ = /h16/ + /16  3:/ +
/d/ buy bought /b0:t/ = /ba1/ + /a1 0:/ + /t/
feel  felt /felt/ = /fi:l/ + /i:  e/ + /t/
do done /dn/ = /du:/ + /u: / + /n/
tear torn /t0:n/ = /te6/ + /e6 0:/ +
/n/ go gone /94n/ = /96/ + /64/ +
/n/
 choose chosen /‘t~6zn/ = /t~u:z/ + /u: 6/ + /n/
5.2. with both vowel and consonant change:
leave left /left/ = /li:v/ + /i:  e/ and /v  f/ + /t/
NOTES:

The ed /t/ in blessed /blest/ and the ed /d/ in burned /b3:nd/ are two
phonologically conditioned additive allomorph of either {D1} or{D2}.

bless  blessed /blest/

blessed /blest/
burn  burned /b3:nd/

 burned /b3:nd/
The t /t/ in blest /blest/ and in burnt /b3:nt/ represents a
morphologically conditioned additive allomorph of either {D1} or{D2}.
bless blest /blest/

blest /blest/ burn

 burnt /b3:nt/

burnt /b3:nt/