Inflected Forms

In comparison with some other languages English does not have many inflected forms. Of those which it has, several are inflected forms of words belonging to small, closed groups (as the personal pronouns or the demonstratives). These forms can readily be found at their own alphabetical places with a full entry (as whom, the objective case form of who) or with a cross-reference in small capital letters to another entry (as those, the plural form of that).

Most other inflected forms, however, are covered explicitly or by implication at the main entry for the base form. These are the plurals of nouns, the principal parts of verbs (the past tense, the past participle when it differs from the past tense, and the present participle), and the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs. In general, it may be said that when these inflected forms are created in a manner considered regular in English (as by adding -s or -es to nouns, -ed and -ing to verbs, and -er and -est to adjectives and adverbs) and when it seems that there is nothing about the formation likely to give the dictionary user doubts, the inflected form is not shown in order to save space for information more likely to be sought. Inflected forms are also not shown at undefined run-ons or at some entries bearing a limiting label:

Main Entry: gour.mand
Function: noun
--gour.man.dize . . . intransitive verb

Main Entry: ¹fem.i.nine
Function: adjective
--fem.i.nine.ness . . . noun

Main Entry: ²lake
Function: noun
--laky . . . adjective

Main Entry: ²cote
Function: transitive verb
obsolete : to pass by

Main Entry: crouse
Function: adjective
chiefly Scottish : BRISK, LIVELY

On the other hand, if the inflected form is created in an irregular way or if the dictionary user is likely to have doubts about it (even though it is formed regularly), the inflected form is shown in boldface, either in full or cut back to a convenient and easily recognizable point. Full details about the kinds of entries at which inflected forms are shown and not shown are given in the sections listed below:

• Nouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives & Adverbs

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