Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition

Regular inections
Inections are the way that the ending of a word changes when you use the word in different ways. For example, you say I read but he reads. The inections of some words are irregular, especially the past tense of common verbs (e.g. buy changes to bought in the past tense). With irregular inections, you cannot simply work them out . You just have to learn them. All of these irregular inections are shown in the dictionary next to the word that you are looking up. The two pages here show you what happens with inections that are not irregular. There are easy rules for regular inections and you can use these rules to work out how a particular word changes. The following tables show you how nouns, adjectives and verbs change their endings.

Nouns
Most nouns form their plural by adding -s. chair chairs, plate plates Nouns which end in -s, -ss, -ch, -x and -z make their plurals by adding es mass masses, match matches Nouns which end in a consonant (e.g. m, t, p) + y form their plurals by taking away the -y and adding -ies baby babies, university universities Nouns which end in a vowel (e.g. a, e, o) + y form their plurals by adding -s tray trays, toy toys

Adjectives
Comparative form of adjectives Superlative form of adjectives this is used to show that someone or something has more of a particular quality than someone or something else this is used to show that someone or something has more of a particular quality than anyone or anything else these adjectives usually form their comparative and superlative with -er and -est these adjectives can all form their comparative and superlative with more and most these adjectives usually form their comparative and superlative with more and most you can either add -er to the end of the adjective, or use the word more before it (see below) you can either add -est to the end of the adjective, or use the word most before it (see below) small, smaller, smallest

One-syllable adjectives Two-syllable adjectives Three-syllable adjectives

complex, more complex, most complex beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful

Cambridge University Press 2008

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition

Regular inections (continued)

Note: Some two-syllable adjectives can form the comparative and superlative with -er and -est too. The most common of these are: adjectives ending in -y and -ow happy happier happiest , noisy noisier noisiest , shallow shallower shallowest , adjectives ending in -le able abler ablest , noble nobler noblest , simple simpler simplest , some other common two-syllable adjectives which can take -er and -est common, cruel, handsome, pleasant, polite, quiet, wicked When you are using the -er, -est forms, if the adjective ends in -e, take away the -e before adding the ending: pale, paler palest , If the adjective ends in -y, change this to -i before adding the ending: happy, happier happiest ,

Verbs
For regular verbs add the following endings: 3rd person singular Present participle Past tense and the past participle add -s add -ing add -ed pack packs pack packing pack packed

Note: For verbs ending in -s, -ss, -ch, -x, or -z you need to add -es for the third person singular ending (e.g. reach, reaches), but the present participle, past tense and past participle are the same as other regular verbs: reach, reaches, reaching, reached For verbs ending in -e, take away the -e before adding the present participle, past tense, and past participle endings: hate, hates, hating, hated For verbs ending in a consonant followed by -y, for the present participle take away the -y and add -ies, and for the past tense and past participle take away the -y and add -ied: cry, cries, crying, cried Verbs ending in a vowel followed by -y are regular: play, plays, playing, played SUMMARY If a word has irregular inections these are shown in the dictionary next to the word. You can work out all regular inections by using these pages. You need to look at the last letters of nouns and verbs to be sure that you have got the right rules for producing their regular inections.

Cambridge University Press 2008