CHAPTER I

INFLECTION

+52.+ +Inflection is a change of form in a word indicating some change in its meaning. A word thus changed in form is said to be inflected.+

Thus the nouns _man_, _wife_, _dog_, may change their form to _man’s_, _wife’s_, _dog’s_, to express possession; or to _men_, _wives_, _dogs_, to show that two or more are meant.

The pronouns _I_, _she_, may change their form to _our_, _her_.

The adjectives _large_, _happy_, _good_, may change their form to _larger_, _happier_, _better_, to denote a higher degree of the quality; or to _largest_, _happiest_, _best_, to denote the highest degree.

The verbs _look_, _see_, _sing_, may change their form to _looked_, _saw_, _sang_, to denote past time.

The examples show that a word may be inflected (1) by the addition of a final letter or syllable (_dog_, _dogs_; _look_, _looked_), (2) by the substitution of one letter for another (_man_, _men_), or (3) by a complete change of form (_good_, _better_, _best_).

+53.+ The inflection of a substantive is called its +declension+; that of an adjective or an adverb, its +comparison+; that of a verb, its +conjugation+.

NOTE. Some forms which we regard as due to inflection are really distinct words. Thus _we_ is regarded as a form of the pronoun _I_, but it is in fact an altogether different word. Such irregularities, however, are not numerous, and are properly enough included under the head of inflection.

The table below gives a summary view of inflection, and may be used for reference with the following chapters.

SUBSTANTIVES (NOUNS AND PRONOUNS)

Gender { Masculine (_male_) { Feminine (_female_) { Neuter (_no sex_)

Number { Singular (_one_) { Plural (_more than one_)

Person { First (_speaker_) { Second (_spoken to_) { Third (_spoken of_)

Case { Nominative (_subject case_) { Possessive (_ownership_) { Objective (_object case_)

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Comparison { Positive Degree { Comparative Degree { Superlative Degree

VERBS

Number { Singular } { Plural } } _Verb agrees with Subject_ Person { First } { Second } { Third }

Tense { Simple Tenses { Present { { Past { { Future { { Compound Tenses { Perfect (or Present Perfect) { { Pluperfect (or Past Perfect) { { Future Perfect

Mood { Indicative (_all six tenses_) { Imperative (_Present Tense only_) { Subjunctive (_Present_, _Past_, _Perfect_, _Pluperfect_)

Voice { Active (_Subject acts_) { Passive (_Subject receives the action_)

Infinitives (Present and Perfect) Participles (Present, Past, and Perfect)