in
flec
tion
Plural
inflections
1
the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
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2
(grammar) a change in the structure of a word, usually adding a suffix, according to its grammatical function
Inflection is a morphological process that modifies a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense, number, mood, or case, without changing its core meaning or part of speech. This is typically achieved by adding endings or changing the form of the word. For example, the verb "walk" can be inflected to "walks" for third person singular present tense or "walked" for past tense. Similarly, nouns can change from "cat" to "cats" to indicate plural form. Inflection helps convey specific grammatical information and relationships within sentences, enhancing the clarity and accuracy of communication.
- Verb inflection in English shows tense, as in "walk" vs. "walked."
- Latin relies heavily on inflection to convey grammatical relationships.
- Noun inflections in Russian indicate case, number, and gender.
- Inflection can change the meaning of a word significantly.
- Understanding inflection is essential for mastering highly inflected languages like Finnish.
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3
a manner of speaking in which the loudness or pitch or tone of the voice is modified
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