Which strategy enhances understanding of word meaning through word structure analysis?

• A. Only phoneme drills
• B. Copying definitions
• C. Morphological analysis of prefixes and suffixes
• D. Skipping derivational morphology

Answer: (C)

Understanding word meaning comes from analyzing word structure, especially prefixes and suffixes. Morphological analysis lets you unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words by breaking them into meaningful parts you already know. For example, in a word with the prefix that means not and a base word meaning happy, plus a suffix that turns it into a noun, you can infer that the whole word means a state of not being happy. More broadly, noticing how prefixes like un-, re-, or dis- and suffixes like -ness, -able, or -graphy change meaning or part of speech helps you build a mental dictionary for how words are formed.

Why this is the best approach is that it teaches you to read beyond surface definitions and to decode new words in context. It also supports spelling and vocabulary growth because you see the rule-like connections between parts and meanings. Other strategies, like drilling sounds alone, give you phonetic skills without linking form to meaning; copying definitions gives meaning in isolation without teaching you how to deduce it from structure; and skipping derivational morphology prevents you from recognizing how word parts shift meaning or category. Focusing on prefixes and suffixes equips you to understand and infer meaning across many words.