inflection
part of speech
noun (an inflection, inflections; UK also inflexion)
meaning for a pupil
1) (grammar) A change in the form of a word, usually its ending, to show tense, number, person and so on: «-s», «-ed», «-ing», «-er», «-est». tree →
2) The rise and fall of the voice when speaking: the inflection of a question. tree →
3) (maths) A point of inflection is where a curve changes the way it bends. tree →
sense in the lessons
In grammar lessons, inflections are word endings that change meaning in grammar: walk → walks, walked, walking. In speaking and drama lessons, voice inflection shows feelings and questions. In higher maths, a curve's inflection point is where it switches from curving one way to the other. Phrases: verb inflection, voice inflection, point of inflection.
examples
- The «-ed» inflection shows that an action happened in the past. tree →
- Add the plural inflection «-s» to «dog» to get «dogs». tree →
- Her voice had a rising inflection, so I knew it was a question. tree →
- Read your poem with more inflection so it isn't boring. tree →
- English has fewer inflections than Latin. tree →
- The curve has a point of inflection in the middle. tree →
note
Countable: an inflection, many inflections. Spelling: «inflection» is usual; «inflexion» is an older UK spelling. Irregular forms like «ran» or «mice» are also inflected forms, but made without a regular ending.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «inflection» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.