Morphemes are categorized into bound and free. Bound morphemes are:

Morphemes are categorized into bound and free. Bound morphemes are:

• A. Free morphemes are words that cannot stand alone with meaning
• B. Bound morphemes are those that cannot stand alone and add grammatical meaning
• C. Bound morphemes are always verbs
• D. Free morphemes are bound to nouns

Answer: (B)

Bound morphemes are pieces of language that cannot stand alone as words. They attach to a root and signal grammatical information, such as number, tense, negation, or comparison, rather than adding new lexical content. For example, the suffix -s marks plural in cats, the suffix -ed marks past tense in walked, and the prefix un- can change meaning in unhappy. Because they need a base to attach to, they don’t function as independent words. This is why the correct description is that bound morphemes cannot stand alone and add grammatical meaning. Free morphemes, by contrast, can stand on their own as words and carry real content, like cat, run, or happy. The other statements mix up these ideas—for instance, suggesting bound morphemes are always verbs or that free morphemes are bound to nouns.

Bound morphemes are pieces of language that cannot stand alone as words. They attach to a root and signal grammatical information, such as number, tense, negation, or comparison, rather than adding new lexical content. For example, the suffix -s marks plural in cats, the suffix -ed marks past tense in walked, and the prefix un- can change meaning in unhappy. Because they need a base to attach to, they don’t function as independent words. This is why the correct description is that bound morphemes cannot stand alone and add grammatical meaning. Free morphemes, by contrast, can stand on their own as words and carry real content, like cat, run, or happy. The other statements mix up these ideas—for instance, suggesting bound morphemes are always verbs or that free morphemes are bound to nouns.