base form

IPA/ˈbeɪs fɔːm/
IPA/ˈbeɪs fɔːrm/

base form — noun

1. The version of a word shown as the main entry in a dictionary — the one without

1.名詞B1
釋義

The version of a word shown as the main entry in a dictionary — the one without any grammatical endings. For example, from the base form 'walk' you get 'walks', 'walked', and 'walking'; from 'child' you get 'children'.

例句

Ayesha looked up the base form of 'ran' in her dictionary.

base form of + [inflected word]

The base form of 'mice' is 'mouse,' not 'mices.'

irregular plural → base form

同義詞
  • lemma

    more technical; preferred in academic linguistics and lexicography

  • citation form

    used in linguistics, especially when discussing how a dictionary presents a word

  • dictionary form

    less technical; common in everyday grammar teaching

反義詞
  • inflected form

    any form of a word that carries a grammatical ending (e.g. 'walked,' 'children')

文法句型

base form of + [word]

用法筆記

Used mainly in grammar teaching and dictionary-making. The base form of a verb is the infinitive without 'to' — for example, 'go' rather than 'to go.'

常見錯誤

❌The base form of "better" is "gooder".
✅The base form of "better" is "good".
💡irregular comparatives do not follow the regular '-er' pattern.