This study by Jean Berko aims to explore what children learn about English morphology when exposed to it. The research uses nonsense words to test children's knowledge of morphological rules, such as plural forms, possessives, verb tenses, and comparatives. The study examines the development of these rules from simple, regular forms to more irregular and complex ones. The vocabulary of first-grade children was analyzed to identify the most commonly used morphological features, and a test was designed to assess their ability to apply these rules to new words. The test included 27 picture cards with nonsense words and corresponding questions. The subjects were 12 adults and 43 children from the Harvard Preschool and the Michael Driscoll School. The results showed that children could correctly form plural forms with /-s/ and /-z/, but struggled with the more complex /-əz/ form. They also performed better on regular verb forms like the progressive tense than on irregular forms like the past tense. There were no significant sex differences in performance, and older children generally outperformed younger ones, particularly in forming the plural and progressive forms. The study concludes that children possess morphological rules and can apply them to new words, but their understanding is more limited than adults'. The findings suggest that children's language acquisition is not just about memorizing words but also about understanding and applying linguistic patterns.This study by Jean Berko aims to explore what children learn about English morphology when exposed to it. The research uses nonsense words to test children's knowledge of morphological rules, such as plural forms, possessives, verb tenses, and comparatives. The study examines the development of these rules from simple, regular forms to more irregular and complex ones. The vocabulary of first-grade children was analyzed to identify the most commonly used morphological features, and a test was designed to assess their ability to apply these rules to new words. The test included 27 picture cards with nonsense words and corresponding questions. The subjects were 12 adults and 43 children from the Harvard Preschool and the Michael Driscoll School. The results showed that children could correctly form plural forms with /-s/ and /-z/, but struggled with the more complex /-əz/ form. They also performed better on regular verb forms like the progressive tense than on irregular forms like the past tense. There were no significant sex differences in performance, and older children generally outperformed younger ones, particularly in forming the plural and progressive forms. The study concludes that children possess morphological rules and can apply them to new words, but their understanding is more limited than adults'. The findings suggest that children's language acquisition is not just about memorizing words but also about understanding and applying linguistic patterns.