Question

Look at the syllable breaks in the words below. In which word do the syllable breaks correspond exactly with divisions between morphemes?

a. si - lent
b. un - read - a - ble
c. hap - pi - ness
d. care - ful - ly

Answer 1

a. si - lent

Step-by-step explanation:

The division between morphemes refers to the smallest units of meaning in a language. Let's analyze the given words:

a. si - lent: "silent" is one morpheme.

b. un - read - a - ble: "unreadable" is composed of three morphemes - "un-", "read", and "-able".

c. hap - pi - ness: "happiness" consists of two morphemes - "hap-" and "-ness".

d. care - ful - ly: "carefully" is made up of two morphemes - "care" and "-fully".

Among the options, (a) "silent" has syllable breaks that correspond exactly with divisions between morphemes. Therefore, the correct answer is:

a. si - lent

Answer 2

The word 'un-read-a-ble' has syllable breaks corresponding exactly with morpheme divisions, with 'un-' as a prefix, 'read' as the root, 'a-' as a connective vowel, and '-ble' as a suffix.

Step-by-step explanation:

The word in which the syllable breaks correspond exactly with divisions between morphemes is b. un-read-a-ble.

In this word, each syllable is a separate morpheme: 'un-' is a prefix, 'read' is the base or root, 'a-' is a connective vowel used in many words to make them more pronounceable, and '-ble' is a suffix.

Divisions between morphemes are important in understanding the meaning of words, as each morpheme contributes an element to the overall meaning.

In contrast, the other words listed may have syllable breaks that do not align with morpheme boundaries.