Grammar: Correct Word Form

Grammar in EAP

Correct word or form of word

Correct word form

It is very easy to choose the incorrect form of a word. For example, should it be “eat” or “eats”, “understand” or “understanding”, “inform” or “information”, “correct” or “correctly”.

The branch of grammar that studies the structure and form of words is morphology. It contrasts with syntax, the study of word combinations.

Morphology consists of two fields: the study of inflection and the study of word formation.

Inflection

Several classes of word in English have different forms; they inflect.

  • Regular verbs have five forms: “begin“, “begins“, “began“, “begun“, “beginning“.
  • Some adjectives have three inflected forms: “weak“, “weaker“, “weakest“.
  • Nouns typically have three forms: “lady“, “ladies“, “lady’s” and perhaps “ladies’“.

See: Grammar: Morphology

Word Formation

See: Vocabulary: Word Formation & Vocabulary: Affixes & Roots

Try this exercise.

References