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H. Suffixal Homophones: Inflectional Morpheme (-ER CP)

This document discusses homophones that can be created with certain suffixes in English. It provides examples of inflectional and derivational suffixes that can have homophonous forms, including {-ER}, {-ING}, {-D}, and {-LY}. The document seeks to distinguish between homophonous suffixes by examining characteristics like parts of speech, inflection patterns, and modifiers. For example, it explains that the adjectival suffix {-ING} can be preceded by qualifiers like "very" while the verbal {-ING} cannot be.

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حسن محمد عبد الجبار
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640 views4 pages

H. Suffixal Homophones: Inflectional Morpheme (-ER CP)

This document discusses homophones that can be created with certain suffixes in English. It provides examples of inflectional and derivational suffixes that can have homophonous forms, including {-ER}, {-ING}, {-D}, and {-LY}. The document seeks to distinguish between homophonous suffixes by examining characteristics like parts of speech, inflection patterns, and modifiers. For example, it explains that the adjectival suffix {-ING} can be preceded by qualifiers like "very" while the verbal {-ING} cannot be.

Uploaded by

حسن محمد عبد الجبار
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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H.

Suffixal Homophones
Some suffixes, both inflectional and derivational, have homophonous forms
(identical in pronunciation).
Homophone: a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same
or not.

Inflectional morpheme {-ER cp}

deriva'onal  suffix  {-­‐ER  n}   deriva'onal  suffix  {-­‐ER  rp}  


1.  agent  –er;  a;ached  to  verbs         It conveys the meaning of repetition
conveys  a  meaning  of  “that  which   chatter, mutter, flicker, glitter, patter
performs  the  ac'on  of  the  verb  stem”  
hunter,  fisher,  camper,  golfer,  player    

2.  It  is  may  a;ached  to  nonverbal  stems  


conveys  general  meaning  of  “that  which  is  
related  to”  
proba5oner,  New  Yorker,  teenager,  freighter      
Verbal inflectional suffix {-ING vb}

nominal derivational suffix adjectival morpheme


{-ING nm} {-ING aj}
a derivational suffix to form nouns a derivational suffix to form adjective
It permits the addition of an inflectional a charming woman
suffix to close it off; the noun plural {-s pl}
weddings, meetings, readings

How to distinguish the verbal {-ING vb} from the {-ING adj}?
1.  The verbal {-ING} can occur after as well as before the noun it modifies.
I saw a burning house.
I saw a house bringing.

2. The adjectival {-ING aj} can preceded by a qualifier such as very, rather, quite,
the comparative and superlative more, most, and seems
It is a very comforting thought. That snake seems interesting.
This is a more exciting movie. * That snake seems crawling.
* I saw a rather burning house.
Verb  inflec*onal  {-­‐D  pp}  

adjectival derivational {-D aj}

Helen was excited about her new job


She was a devoted mother.

It can be modified by qualifiers such as very, rather, quite, the comparative and
superlative more, most, and by seems.
A rather faded tapestry hung over the fire place.
*The very departed guests had forgotten their dog.
The tapestry seems faded.
*The guests seem departed.
Adverbial derivational suffix {-LY av}
It is added to most adjectives to form adverbs of manner.
rich, richly; kind, kindly; formal, formally; happy, happily

Derivational suffix adjectival morpheme {-LY aj}


1. It is added to monosyllabic nouns to form adjectives that are inflected with -er, -est.
love, lovely; friend, friendly; man, manly

2. It is added to nouns to form adjectives that are not inflected with -er, -est.
king, kingly; beast, beastly; scholar, scholarly; mother, motherly; leisure, leisurely  

3. It is added to a few adjectives, giving alternate adjectival forms that are inflected
with -er, -est.
dead, deadly; live, lively; kind, kindly; sick, sickly
She spoke kindly to the children.
She was a kindly woman; in fact, she was the kindliest woman in the village.  

4. It is added to a short list of “time” nouns to form adjectives that are not inflected
with -er, -est.
day, daily; hour, hourly; month, monthly
 

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