Breakdown of Elke misstap leek onvermijdelijk door de misplaatste kritiek.
elk
each, every
lijken
to seem
door
because of / due to
onvermijdelijk
inevitable
de kritiek
the criticism
misplaatst
inappropriate / misplaced
de misstap
the misstep / the blunder (faux pas, moral slip)
Questions & Answers about Elke misstap leek onvermijdelijk door de misplaatste kritiek.
The prefix mis- appears twice here. Does it attach to the same type of word in both cases?
No, they differ. In misstap (misstep), it attaches directly to a noun (de stap). In misplaatste (misplaced), it attaches to a verb (plaatsen, meaning to place or put), indicating that the action was done wrongly or inappropriately.
Is the stress on the prefix mis- or on the root of the word?
It depends on the word type! For nouns like misstap, the emphasis is on the prefix: MIS-stap. However, for verbs and adjectives derived from verbs like misplaatste, the prefix is unstressed and the emphasis falls on the root: mis-PLAATST-e.
How does the word onvermijdelijk break down morphologically?
It is built from three parts: the negative prefix on- (un-), the verb stem vermijd (from vermijden, meaning to avoid), and the suffix -elijk (which functions like -able or -ible). Together, they literally mean un-avoid-able.
Why does misplaatste get an -e at the end here?
In this sentence, misplaatst is a past participle being used as an adjective. Because it comes before the noun kritiek (which is a de word) and follows the definite article de, it receives the standard -e ending just like any normal adjective would.
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