Inflect

usgb/ɪnˈflekt/
verb

To change the form of a word to express a different grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, and case.

In many languages, you have to inflect the verb to match the subject.
Visual representation of "inflect" - To change the form of a word to express a different grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, and case.

Often appears as...

  • inflect a verb
  • inflect a noun

Usage tips

Academic,General

Definition 1 of 3
Visual representation of "inflect"
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Grammatical Agreement

Inflect to match nouns and pronouns in number, like 'she runs' versus 'they run'.

Illustration for Grammatical Agreement
Adding 's' to 'run' inflects it to agree with 'she'.
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Not in English

English has limited inflection compared to other languages, relying more on word order.

Illustration for Not in English
English uses 'the' for all nouns, it doesn't inflect for gender or case.
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Past Tense Complexity

Inflection can make verbs regular ('talked') or irregular ('spoke') in past tense.

Illustration for Past Tense Complexity
We inflect 'talk' to 'talked' but 'speak' to 'spoke'.
Visual representation of the word "Inflect"

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