Final answer:
The stem or base of a noun is its main component carrying meaning, which remains after removing prefixes and suffixes. To find it, identify the word's root and notice any changes when a suffix is added. Examples include 'duce' in 'produce' or 'script' in 'inscription.'
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the stem or base of a noun, you need to identify the word's main meaning component before any prefixes or suffixes are added. For instance, in the noun 'production,' the base or stem is 'produce.' If we further analyze words like deduce and conduct, we can notice that they share a common base 'duce' and 'duct,' meaning 'lead.' Similarly, the nouns success, exceed, and recess have the bases 'cede,' 'ceed,' or 'cess,' with the original meaning 'go.'
There are also distinctions between free bases and bound bases. For example, 'scribe' and 'script' are free bases that can stand alone as words. In contrast, bound bases like 'cept,' 'fect,' 'gest,' and 'spect' cannot stand alone and are always used with prefixes or suffixes. When analyzing noun stems, it's also important to observe any changes that occur when a suffix is added, such as in 'pass' becoming 'passage' or 'press' becoming 'impress.'