Question

The element known as the combining form:

A. is the ending of some words.

B. can only appear once in a term.

C. is the combination of two roots and a combining vowel.

D. is the foundation of the word that provides its meaning.

E. can never begin a word.

Answer 1

The element known as the combining form is a foundational part of word formation that can result in double consonants due to simple addition of word elements, and follows patterns in spelling changes with suffix addition and pronunciation rules such as palatalization.

Step-by-step explanation:

The element known as the combining form in English morphology is indeed foundational in word formation. When elements (such as prefixes, bases, and suffixes) are combined to form words, sometimes double consonants occur because of simple addition; this is the case when one element ends with the same consonant with which the next begins. For example, when combining 'cat' and 'tail' we get 'cattail'. Furthermore, when we analyze the spelling of compound words that form sounds like [ch] spelled as due to palatalization, we may observe particular patterns. For instance, in 'actual + ly’ the [ch] sound spelled follows the pattern where it often comes before a 'u'. When it comes to suffixes, we can see that adding '-ies' to a base word such as 'study' that ends in 'y', following the orthographic convention, turns it into 'studies' where the 'i' spells the sound [ē].

These word formation rules help us understand the morphological structure of English and demonstrate how spelling and pronunciation interact with morphology to create consistent patterns in the language.

Answer 2

The combining form is the combination of two roots and a combining vowel, used to create compound words.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the question is C. The element known as the combining form is the combination of two roots and a combining vowel. This combining form is used to create compound words by joining separate elements together. For example, in the word 'blackbird', the combining form 'black' is combined with the root 'bird' to form a new word.

Similarly, in the word 'dogcatcher', the combining form 'dog' is combined with the root 'catcher' to create a compound word. The combining form provides the foundation of the word, while the roots contribute to the overall meaning.

It's important to note that the combining form can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, depending on the specific word being formed.