Meaning & use
base words
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Meaning
nounplural
the simplest form of a word, before any endings or prefixes are added
Grammar: Usually plural; the singular is 'base word'. Use it when talking about word building, e.g. 'The base word is 'help'.'
Patterns
- the base word of something
- a base word plus a suffix
In the word 'played', the base word is 'play'.
Teachers often ask students to find the base word before adding -ing.
If you know the base word, you can often guess the meaning of a longer word.
Word forms
| singular | base word |
|---|
Common combinations
- find the base word
- Can you find the base word in 'unhappiness'?
- add a suffix to a base word
- We add -ly to the base word 'quick' to make 'quickly'.
- the base word of a word
- The base word of 'running' is 'run'.
- base word list
- The teacher gave us a base word list to study.
Synonyms and how they differ
- root
- 'Root' often means the core part of a word that carries the main meaning, which may not be a whole word by itself, so it is not always the same as a base word.
- stem
- 'Stem' is used in linguistics for the part of a word that endings are added to; it can be the same as a base word, but it is more technical.
Word family
- base noun
- the main part or starting point of something
Commonly confused: base words or root word?
base words vs root word
A root word is the basic part of a word that carries meaning, but it may not stand alone as a word. A base word can stand alone, like 'help' in 'helpful'.
Practice
What is the base word in 'unhappiness'?
Choose one answer.
'Happy' is the simplest form before adding the prefix un- and the suffix -ness. 'Unhappy' already has a prefix, so it is not the base word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “base words”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.