What is the smallest meaningful unit in a word that cannot stand on its own?

What is the smallest meaningful unit in a word that cannot stand on its own?

• A. Free Morpheme
• B. Bound Morpheme
• C. Morpheme
• D. Lexeme

Answer: (B)

The distinction between free and bound morphemes is being tested here. A bound morpheme cannot stand alone as a word; it attaches to a base to add grammatical or semantic information. That makes bound morpheme the smallest meaningful unit in a word that cannot stand on its own. Examples include the suffix -ed in walked, the plural -s in dogs, and the prefix un- in unhappy. Free morphemes like dog or walk can stand alone, which contrasts with bound morphemes.

The distinction between free and bound morphemes is being tested here. A bound morpheme cannot stand alone as a word; it attaches to a base to add grammatical or semantic information. That makes bound morpheme the smallest meaningful unit in a word that cannot stand on its own. Examples include the suffix -ed in walked, the plural -s in dogs, and the prefix un- in unhappy. Free morphemes like dog or walk can stand alone, which contrasts with bound morphemes.