inflection
/ɪnˈflekʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈflekʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈflek-shən/ (ame, mw)
inflection — noun
- inflectionsingular
- inflectionsplural
1. a change made to a word's shape or ending so that it signals a grammatical role
a change made to a word's shape or ending so that it signals a grammatical role — for example, marking past tense, plural number, or possession.
In English, the plural inflection for most nouns is the ending '-s', as in 'book' becoming 'books'.
inflection for [grammatical feature]
Ada explained that Latin verbs carry many inflections to show person, number, and tense.
carry inflections to show [feature]
The teacher highlighted the inflection on the verb 'walked' to mark the past tense.
Russian relies heavily on inflection, while Mandarin uses almost none.
Marco struggled with German noun inflections, which change depending on grammatical case.
- conjugation
specifically verb inflection for person, tense, mood
- declension
specifically noun, pronoun, or adjective inflection for case, number, gender
文法句型
inflection of [word/category]
inflection for [grammatical feature]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (voice pitch): this sense refers to a written or morphological change to a word, while sense 2 refers to spoken vocal change. Often appears in plural ('inflections') when listing multiple word forms.
常見錯誤
2. the rising and falling pattern of a speaker's voice — including changes in pitch
the rising and falling pattern of a speaker's voice — including changes in pitch, loudness, or stress — that conveys feeling, emphasis, or meaning.
Christopher's voice rose in inflection at the end of every question.
inflection at the end of a question (rising intonation)
Rania read the poem aloud with gentle inflection, lingering on the final line.
read aloud with inflection
There was a hint of sarcasm in Lukas's inflection when he praised the soup.
The robot voice spoke each word with no inflection, sounding flat and lifeless.
Eri raised the inflection of her voice slightly to stress the word 'today'.
- intonation
more technical; the overall melodic pattern of speech
- tone
broader; covers attitude and quality of voice, not just pitch
- modulation
deliberate adjustment of pitch or loudness, often for artistic effect
- monotone
speech with no variation in pitch
文法句型
inflection in [someone's] voice
with [a/an] [adjective] inflection
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (word form): this sense is about how the voice sounds aloud, not about written word endings. Often modified by descriptive adjectives ('rising inflection', 'flat inflection', 'gentle inflection').