Which statement about the words "friendly" and "slowly" is true?

Which statement about the words "friendly" and "slowly" is true?

• A. They are formed from the same roots
• B. They possess derivational suffixes
• C. They perform the same syntactic functions
• D. They have the same lexical meanings

Answer: (B)

The statement that "friendly" and "slowly" possess derivational suffixes is accurate because both words are formed by adding suffixes to base words. "Friendly" is derived from the adjective "friend" with the addition of the suffix "-ly," which changes a noun into an adjective describing a characteristic. On the other hand, "slowly" comes from the adjective "slow," to which the suffix "-ly" is added, transforming it into an adverb that describes the manner of doing something. This analysis highlights the nature of derivational suffixes in English, which modify the grammatical category of the root word. This understanding differentiates these words from others that may not undergo such transformations or that may share roots without diverging in form. The other options do not accurately reflect the relationship between the words. They do not share the same roots, do not serve identical syntactic functions, and do not share the same lexical meanings, which clarifies why the selection of this statement is valid.

The statement that "friendly" and "slowly" possess derivational suffixes is accurate because both words are formed by adding suffixes to base words. "Friendly" is derived from the adjective "friend" with the addition of the suffix "-ly," which changes a noun into an adjective describing a characteristic. On the other hand, "slowly" comes from the adjective "slow," to which the suffix "-ly" is added, transforming it into an adverb that describes the manner of doing something.

This analysis highlights the nature of derivational suffixes in English, which modify the grammatical category of the root word. This understanding differentiates these words from others that may not undergo such transformations or that may share roots without diverging in form. The other options do not accurately reflect the relationship between the words. They do not share the same roots, do not serve identical syntactic functions, and do not share the same lexical meanings, which clarifies why the selection of this statement is valid.