Which of the following is the base word for Dancer, used in the 'agent' construction?

Which of the following is the base word for Dancer, used in the 'agent' construction?

• A. Dancer
• B. Dance
• C. Movement
• D. Rhythm

Answer: (B)

In this type of construction, you build an agent noun from the base verb that describes the action. For someone who performs the action, you start with the verb sign and conceptually add the agent meaning. Here, the action is to dance, so the base word is the verb “dance.” The noun meaning “a person who dances” is built from that verb. The other terms don’t serve as the verb root used to form the agent noun—they’re related ideas, not the base for forming the agent.

In this type of construction, you build an agent noun from the base verb that describes the action. For someone who performs the action, you start with the verb sign and conceptually add the agent meaning. Here, the action is to dance, so the base word is the verb “dance.” The noun meaning “a person who dances” is built from that verb. The other terms don’t serve as the verb root used to form the agent noun—they’re related ideas, not the base for forming the agent.