inflect
/ɪnˈflekt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈflekt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈflekt/ (ame, mw)
inflect — verb
- inflectpresent simple I / you / we / they
- inflectshe / she / it
- inflectedpast simple
- inflecting-ing form
1. to alter a word's ending or spelling so it shows its grammatical role in a sente
to alter a word's ending or spelling so it shows its grammatical role in a sentence, such as marking tense, number, or case; or to undergo such a change when used in different grammatical positions.
Folake explained that English nouns usually inflect for plural by adding -s or -es.
inflect for [grammatical feature]
Latin verbs inflect heavily, taking different endings for person, number, and tense.
subject + inflect — intransitive use of a language's words
Tamar showed her class how the verb 'go' inflects irregularly in the past tense.
Andrés learned that adjectives in Spanish inflect to match the gender of the noun.
Old English used to inflect nouns for case, but modern English has lost those endings.
文法句型
inflect + noun (a word)
[word] + inflects
用法筆記
Subject is usually a word, a part of speech, or a language. Frequently followed by 'for' + the grammatical feature being marked (number, case, tense, person). Distinguish from sense 2 (influence) — this sense is restricted to formal grammar contexts.
常見錯誤
2. to gently colour or shape something — usually a person's view, tone, or work — b
to gently colour or shape something — usually a person's view, tone, or work — by leaving a faint trace of an outside influence on it.
Vivek's paintings are subtly inflected by the years he spent in Kyoto studying ink brushwork.
be inflected by — passive showing source of influence
The novelist's later work is inflected with a quiet sadness after her brother's death.
inflected with [emotion/quality] — passive + 'with' for tone
Indra's speech at the wedding was inflected by gentle humour and warm childhood memories.
Joon's cooking is inflected with techniques he picked up while working in a Naples pizzeria.
文法句型
be inflected by [something]
inflect + noun
用法筆記
Almost always passive ('be inflected by/with'). Distinguish from sense 1 (grammatical change) — this sense is about subtle outside influence, never about word endings. Distinguish from sense 3 (change pitch in speech) — this sense affects content or tone broadly, not a single utterance's intonation.
常見錯誤
3. to raise or lower the pitch of your voice while speaking, often to show a feelin
to raise or lower the pitch of your voice while speaking, often to show a feeling such as a question, surprise, or warning.
Élise inflected her voice upward at the end so the sentence sounded like a question.
inflect [one's] voice upward/downward — direction adverb pattern
The actor was trained to inflect his voice so even the back row felt his anger.
inflect [one's voice] + result clause
Darius inflected his voice softly as he read the bedtime story to his daughter.
Leo's voice rarely inflects when he speaks, which sometimes makes his jokes sound serious.
- monotone
as a description: 'speak in a monotone' — the opposite of inflecting
文法句型
inflect + one's voice
用法筆記
Object is almost always 'voice', 'tone', or a possessive variant ('her voice', 'his tone'). Distinguish from sense 1 (word morphology) — this sense is about live speech pitch, not written word forms. Common in descriptions of acting, public speaking, and storytelling.