Free grammatical morphemes, such as "the" and "and," primarily serve specific functions in language:
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Connect Main Clauses: These morphemes can help link ideas or clauses together. For example, "and" connects clauses or phrases, indicating addition or a relationship between them.
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Carry Independent Word Meanings: While they do not typically convey robust meanings like nouns or verbs, words like "the" and "and" serve to specify or clarify the relationships between other words in a sentence, helping to provide context and structure.
They do not typically serve to create new words; instead, they function to organize and connect existing words within sentences. Therefore, within your options, the most accurate functions are:
- Connect main clauses
- Carry independent word meanings
If you have further inquiries or need clarification, feel free to ask!