Functional shift is the conversion of one word class to another.

Functional shift is the conversion of one word class to another.

• A. Adding a prefix to form a new word
• B. Borrowing from other languages
• C. Compounding two words
• D. The conversion of one word class to another

Answer: (D)

Functional shift happens when a word changes its grammatical category without changing its form. This is why it’s the right choice: it defines the idea of moving words from one class to another while keeping the same spelling. For example, text is typically a noun, but in “to text someone” it functions as a verb without any change to the word’s shape. Similarly, water can be a noun and can be used as a verb in “to water the plants.” The other options describe different processes: adding a prefix creates a new word through affixation, borrowing comes from another language, and compounding is joining two words into one.

Functional shift happens when a word changes its grammatical category without changing its form. This is why it’s the right choice: it defines the idea of moving words from one class to another while keeping the same spelling. For example, text is typically a noun, but in “to text someone” it functions as a verb without any change to the word’s shape. Similarly, water can be a noun and can be used as a verb in “to water the plants.” The other options describe different processes: adding a prefix creates a new word through affixation, borrowing comes from another language, and compounding is joining two words into one.