Question

Which of the following is an example of conversion?

• A. "Nation" → "National"
• B. "Happy" → "Happiness"
• C. "Google" (noun) → "Google" (verb)
• D. "Quick" → "Quickly"

Answer 1

Answer:

C. "Google" (noun) → "Google" (verb)

The change from "Google" (noun) to "Google" (verb) is a textbook example of conversion because:

• The word retains its form—no affixes or modifications are added.

• The word class changes—from a noun ("I use Google") to a verb ("I’ll Google it").

Let’s quickly review why the others are not examples of conversion:

• A) "Nation" → "National" – involves derivation (adding suffix -al).

• B) "Happy" → "Happiness" – also derivation (adding suffix -ness).

• D) "Quick" → "Quickly" – derivation again (adding suffix -ly).