Content words are called-

Question

Accepted Answer

Content words are called "lexical words," which is why Option 3 is the correct answer. Here's a detailed explanation:

1. **Explanation for Option 3 (Lexical Words):**
   - Lexical words are words that carry significant meaning and contribute to the content of a sentence. They include nouns, main verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. These words are essential for conveying the main ideas and information in communication. For example, in the sentence "The cat sat on the mat," the words "cat," "sat," and "mat" are lexical words because they provide the core meaning of the sentence. Lexical words are contrasted with grammatical words, which serve a structural purpose rather than conveying specific content.

2. **Explanation for why other options are incorrect:**

- **Option 1 (Functors):**
     - Functors, or function words, are words that have little lexical meaning but serve to express grammatical relationships with other words within a sentence. Examples include prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and pronouns. They are not considered content words because they do not carry the main meaning of the sentence. Instead, they help to structure the sentence and clarify the relationships between lexical words.

- **Option 2 (Grammatical Words):**
     - Grammatical words are similar to functors in that they serve a structural role in language. They include auxiliary verbs, determiners, and particles. These words are crucial for the grammatical integrity of a sentence but do not convey the primary content or meaning. Therefore, they are not classified as content words.

- **Option 4 (Empty Words):**
     - Empty words are typically used to describe words that add little to no meaning to a sentence. They might be used for emphasis or to fill space in speech but do not contribute significant content. Examples might include filler words like "um" or "uh." These are not considered content words because they do not provide substantive information or meaning.

In summary, lexical words are the correct classification for content words because they are the primary carriers of meaning in language, distinguishing them from grammatical or function words, which serve more structural roles.