NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

What is the term for incorrectly applying regular grammatical rules to irregular words?

1. Overgeneralization

2. Overcorrection

3. Regularization

4. Inflection

The correct answer is: Overgeneralization

The correct term for incorrectly applying regular grammatical rules to irregular words is overgeneralization. This phenomenon occurs when a learner applies a general rule to situations where it does not apply, which is common in language acquisition. For instance, a child might use "goed" instead of "went," generalizing the regular past tense rule of adding "ed" to verbs. Overgeneralization demonstrates how language learners often initially rely on patterns they have observed, even when those patterns do not apply to every case. Other terms provided, while related, refer to different linguistic concepts. Overcorrection involves making excessive corrections to language use, often in response to prior nonstandard usage, which is not the same as applying a regular rule incorrectly. Regularization refers specifically to the process of making irregular forms conform to regular patterns, which is a concept closely linked to overgeneralization but is more about the process rather than the incorrect application itself. Inflection pertains more broadly to the modification of a word to express different grammatical categories, such as tense or number, but does not specifically address the idea of incorrectly applying rules.