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Syntax and morphology items test your knowledge of Brown's 14 grammatical morphemes, sentence-level structures, and typical vs disordered acquisition. Expect 3-5 items.
Try answering before revealing the rationale — mark misses to retry later.
Q1.Which of Brown's morphemes is typically acquired FIRST?
Correct: C. Present progressive -ing is the first of Brown's 14 grammatical morphemes to be acquired, emerging around 19-28 months.
Q2.A 5-year-old African American child uses habitual 'be' ('she be playing'). This should be identified as:
Correct: B. Habitual 'be' is a rule-governed feature of African American English (AAE), not an error. Assessment must distinguish dialectal features from disorder.
Q3.Which is a derivational morpheme?
Correct: C. -ness is derivational because it changes word class (adjective 'happy' → noun 'happiness'). The other choices are inflectional (grammatical only).
Praxis Path unlocks a full question bank + 132-question timed mock exam and spaced-repetition flashcards.
Are AAE features on the exam?
Yes — recognizing dialectal features as non-disorder is heavily tested and always the correct answer.
Do I need to memorize all 14 morphemes?
Know the first 5 in order cold, and the general early-late progression for the rest.
What is the difference between free and bound morphemes?
Free morphemes stand alone (dog, run). Bound morphemes cannot (-s, -ed, un-).