Which term describes a basic unit that can stand alone and has meaning?

Which term describes a basic unit that can stand alone and has meaning?

• A. Root
• B. Prefix
• C. Base Word
• D. Noun Phrase

Answer: (C)

Think about the form of a word that can stand by itself and still carry clear meaning. That form is the base word. It's the simple word you’d look up in a dictionary, and from it you can create related words by adding prefixes or suffixes. This is why it fits best: you can use it alone in a sentence as a complete word, and it serves as the building block for other forms. Prefixes and suffixes attach to base words but don’t stand alone as independent words. A noun phrase is a group of words, not a single word. A root is a smaller unit that carries the core idea in some analyses, but in everyday vocabulary questions the term that matches “a basic unit that can stand alone and has meaning” is base word.

Think about the form of a word that can stand by itself and still carry clear meaning. That form is the base word. It's the simple word you’d look up in a dictionary, and from it you can create related words by adding prefixes or suffixes. This is why it fits best: you can use it alone in a sentence as a complete word, and it serves as the building block for other forms. Prefixes and suffixes attach to base words but don’t stand alone as independent words. A noun phrase is a group of words, not a single word. A root is a smaller unit that carries the core idea in some analyses, but in everyday vocabulary questions the term that matches “a basic unit that can stand alone and has meaning” is base word.