Which term describes words formed by combining bound affixes with free morphemes?

• A. Affixation
• B. Compounding
• C. Derivation
• D. Inflection

Answer: (A)

When forming new words by attaching pieces that cannot stand alone (bound affixes) to a base that can stand on its own, you’re describing affixation. This process creates new lexical items by adding prefixes or suffixes to free morphemes, such as unhappy from happy or happiness from happy + ness. It covers both simple derivational changes (changing meaning or word class) and the addition of grammatical endings, as long as a bound affix is glued to a free morpheme to produce a new word.

Compounding wouldn’t fit because that mixes two free morphemes with no bound affixes (like book + store = bookstore). Inflection attaches bound morphemes to express grammar on an existing word (like walk → walks) without creating a new word. Derivation is a kind of affixation focused on changing meaning or word class, but the broad process described here is best captured by affixation.