Which statement best defines bound morphemes?

• A. Dependent upon another morpheme for their meanings.
• B. They can stand alone with complete meaning.
• C. They are only prefixes.
• D. They are individual words like cat or house.

Answer: (A)

Bound morphemes are units of meaning that cannot stand alone; they must attach to a root or free morpheme to convey meaning. This includes endings like -ed, -s, -ing and beginnings like un-, re-, which modify a word’s meaning or its grammatical role. Because they need another morpheme to attach to in order to convey a complete sense, they are dependent on another morpheme. Free morphemes, in contrast, can stand alone as words (like cat or house). Bound morphemes include both prefixes and suffixes, not just prefixes. So, the statement that bound morphemes are dependent on another morpheme for their meanings is the best definition.