Definition

Relating to the way words change form to express different grammatical features, such as tense, mood, or number.

Example

In English, the inflectional forms of verbs indicate whether the action is happening in the past, present, or future.

Conversation

Have you noticed how inflectional changes can affect the meaning of words?

Absolutely! It's fascinating how a small change can make a big difference.

Right? I think learning inflectional forms really helps with understanding the language better.

Definitely! It opens up so many more ways to express ourselves.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Inflectional → It is formed from "in-" (meaning into or not) and "flectere" (meaning to bend) combined with the suffix "-al" (meaning relating to). The word "inflectional" refers to something that relates to the bending or changing of a word's form to express different grammatical features.

Memory Tip

Think of 'bending' ('flectere') a word's form 'into' ('in-') different grammatical shapes — that's what inflectional means.

Visually Confused Words