inflectional
Modifying word forms
Inflectional describes changes to a word's form that signal grammatical relationships without changing its core meaning or part of speech.
English has few inflectional endings: plural -s on nouns, -ed and -ing on verbs, -er and -est on adjectives.
These contrast with derivational changes, which create new words: teach becomes teacher.
Inflectional endings are the grammar markers that remain after centuries of English shedding most of its earlier complexity.
Strained or nervous
- aspectFeature or dimension
- moodPrevailing emotional condition
- numberSymbol representing quantity
- genderSocial identity category
case · person · voice · definiteness · polarity · grammatical category · nominal · verbal
Word-part modifier
- suffixWord-ending addition
- prefixRoot-modifying front element
- declensionNoun form variation
- conjugationVerb form variation system
paradigm · stem · root · ending · marker · agglutinative · synthetic · analytic
Time already gone
- presentGift or current moment
- futureTime still to come
- perfectWithout any flaw
- imperfectHaving flaws or faults
progressive · perfective · preterite · pluperfect · habitual · continuous · simple · conditional
Case marking sentence subjects
- accusativeCase for direct objects
- genitiveCase expressing ownership
- dativeCase showing indirect object
- ablativeRemoving by erosion
locative · instrumental · vocative · oblique · prepositional · partitive · declensional
Setting apart from contact
- agglutinatingCausing adhesion into masses
- analyticExamining by decomposition
- syntheticProduced artificially, not natural
- universalsProperties holding across all
Mutual agreement, peaceful relations
- subject-verbCore sentence elements linked
- matchingIdentical in appearance
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- governmentAuthority over a state
alignment · controller · target · domain · cross-referencing
tense
Strained or nervous
gender · case · person · voice · definiteness · polarity · grammatical category · nominal · verbal · adjectival
affix
Word-part modifier
- suffixWord-ending addition
- prefixRoot-modifying front element
- declensionNoun form variation
conjugation · paradigm · stem · root · ending · marker · agglutinative · synthetic · analytic · lemma
past
Time already gone
imperfect · progressive · perfective · preterite · pluperfect · habitual · continuous · simple · conditional · anterior
nominative
Case marking sentence subjects
- accusativeCase for direct objects
- genitiveCase expressing ownership
- dativeCase showing indirect object
ablative · locative · instrumental · vocative · oblique · prepositional · partitive · declensional
isolating
Setting apart from contact
- agglutinatingCausing adhesion into masses
- analyticExamining by decomposition
- syntheticProduced artificially, not natural
concord
Mutual agreement, peaceful relations
- subject-verbCore sentence elements linked
- matchingIdentical in appearance
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
government · alignment · controller · target · domain · cross-referencing
inflectionaluninflected
Without grammatical modification
analytic · isolating · periphrastic · invariable · agglutinative
- inflection pointsWhere curvature changes sign
- inflectional endingsBound morphemes marking grammar
- voice inflectionPitch shifts while speaking
- vocal inflectionPitch variation in speech