Meaning & use
inflections
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“inflections” is a form of “inflection”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluraltechnical
Changes made to the form of a word, usually to its ending, to show things like tense, number or case.
Grammar: Plural of inflection; usually discussed as a group: English has few inflections.
Patterns
- inflections of a word
- verb inflections
English nouns have only two inflections, singular and plural.
Latin has many more inflections than English does.
The ending -ed is one of the regular verb inflections.
nounplural
Rises and falls in the pitch or tone of a voice while speaking.
Grammar: Often follows the verb notice or hear: you can hear the inflections in her voice.
Patterns
- inflections in someone's voice
He spoke without inflections, so it was hard to tell if he was joking.
The actor's inflections made the line sound sarcastic.
Learners should practice the inflections of questions.
Word forms
| singular | inflection |
|---|
Common combinations
- verb inflections
- Spanish verb inflections change with the person.
- regular inflections
- Regular inflections follow predictable patterns.
- vocal inflections
- Subtle vocal inflections reveal a speaker's mood.
- rising and falling inflections
- Rising and falling inflections carry the meaning of a question.
- noun inflections
- German noun inflections can show case.
Synonyms and how they differ
- endings
- Endings is the everyday word for the grammatical sense, but it omits changes inside the word, as in 'sing' and 'sang'.
- intonation
- Intonation means the overall melody of speech, while inflections can be single changes of pitch.
- modulations
- Modulations suggests deliberate shifts in voice, often musical, and is more formal.
Opposites
Word family
- inflection noun
- one change of word form or of pitch
- inflect verb
- to change form to show grammar
- inflected adjective
- having endings that show grammar
- inflectional adjective
- relating to inflection
Commonly confused: inflections or infections?
inflections vs infections
Infections are illnesses caused by germs; inflections are changes of word form or voice pitch.
Practice
The words 'walked', 'walks' and 'walking' show different verb ______.
Choose one answer.
Inflections are changes to word forms. Infections, intentions and injections have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inflections”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.