The examples memory stick, brand name, well-respected illustrate which category?

• A. Compound words
• B. Blended forms
• C. Acronyms
• D. Phrases

Answer: (A)

Two or more words joining to form a single unit with a new meaning is a compound word. In memory stick, brand name, and well-respected you can see two words (or a hyphenated pair) that come together to name something or describe it as one unit. Memory stick refers to a specific USB storage device; brand name names the product name of a brand; well-respected describes something or someone held in high regard. The key idea is that the combined form functions as a single concept rather than just a loose string of words. This distinguishes it from blended forms, where parts fuse into a new word, from acronyms, which are created from initial letters, and from ordinary phrases, which are just sequences of words used together without forming a single lexical unit.