When asked what he did at preschool earlier in the day,3-year-old Harry said that he "runned on the playground." This error illustrates:
A)confusing phonemes with morphemes.
B)confusing the deep structure with the simple structure of the sentence.
C)confusing morphemes with syntax.
D)overgeneralizing from the grammatical language rules.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Harry's error is an example of overgeneralization from the grammatical language rules. He added an "-ed" suffix to the verb "run" to show past tense, which is a rule he has learned. However, he did not apply the irregular past tense form "ran" correctly, demonstrating an overgeneralization of the rule.

When Asked What He Did at Preschool Earlier in the Day,3-Year-Old