In reading, morphology is the study of word parts and their meanings.

In reading, morphology is the study of word parts and their meanings.

• A. The study of sentence structure
• B. The study of punctuation
• C. The study of narrative structure
• D. The study of word parts and their meanings

Answer: (D)

Morphology focuses on how words are built from smaller meaningful units called morphemes—like roots, prefixes, and suffixes—and how those parts carry meaning. This helps you see how a word’s shape reveals its meaning, even if you’ve never seen the whole word before. For example, knowing that “un-” often means not and “-ness” turns an adjective into a noun helps you deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words like “unhappiness.” The statement describing the study of word parts and their meanings matches morphology exactly. The other options point to different areas: sentence structure is about how words combine into sentences (syntax), punctuation deals with marks like periods and commas, and narrative structure is about how stories are organized.

Morphology focuses on how words are built from smaller meaningful units called morphemes—like roots, prefixes, and suffixes—and how those parts carry meaning. This helps you see how a word’s shape reveals its meaning, even if you’ve never seen the whole word before. For example, knowing that “un-” often means not and “-ness” turns an adjective into a noun helps you deduce the meaning of unfamiliar words like “unhappiness.”

The statement describing the study of word parts and their meanings matches morphology exactly. The other options point to different areas: sentence structure is about how words combine into sentences (syntax), punctuation deals with marks like periods and commas, and narrative structure is about how stories are organized.