LILT:Word

Headword	Word
Level	B,C, D
Language	English
Topic	Grammar
Definition	A word is a grammatical constituent that is easy to recognise but difficult to define. It is easy to recognise words in written language because they are conventionally separated from each other by blank spaces. Indeed words are sometimes defined as those grammatical units separated in writing by spaces on either side. In speech, however, words are not usually separated by pauses, but exist as part of a continuous stream of sound.
Notes	1. The problem with words is that they are made up of smaller grammatical units (morphemes) like prefixes and suffixes, and they themselves combine into larger groups called phrases. There are also sequences like get up which seem to function in exactly the same way as single units like rise. However, the recognition of words in most everyday situation does not seem to cause problems. 2. Words are sometimes classified into two groups: the open class items like nouns, main verbs, adjectives and adverbs, and the closed class items such as prepositions, determiners, conjunctions and auxiliary verbs. The open class items are the most meaningful words. They are ‘open’ because new nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs are always being added to the language, to express new meanings. The closed class items, however, are seldom added to. These words express grammatical relationships or add specific meanings to the open class items. We encounter new nouns and verbs frequently, but the language very seldom acquires a new type of preposition or conjunction.
Compare
Concept	Structure
See also	Form, Function, Phrase, Headword