Which of the following is NOT considered an inflectional ending?

Which of the following is NOT considered an inflectional ending?

• A. -ed
• B. -s
• C. -ing
• D. -ly

Answer: (D)

An inflectional ending is a suffix added to a word to convey grammatical function without changing the word's fundamental meaning or part of speech. The endings -ed, -s, and -ing are all examples of inflectional endings. The suffix -ed indicates past tense for verbs, -s is used for plural nouns or third person singular present tense in verbs, and -ing denotes the present participle for verbs. Each of these endings alters the grammatical function of the base word but does not change its core meaning. In contrast, the suffix -ly is not an inflectional ending. Instead, it is considered a derivational suffix because it transforms an adjective into an adverb (for example, "quick" becomes "quickly"). This change in the part of speech signifies a shift in meaning, which is characteristic of derivational suffixes rather than inflectional ones. Therefore, identifying -ly as the option that does not fall under inflectional endings is correct.

An inflectional ending is a suffix added to a word to convey grammatical function without changing the word's fundamental meaning or part of speech. The endings -ed, -s, and -ing are all examples of inflectional endings.

The suffix -ed indicates past tense for verbs, -s is used for plural nouns or third person singular present tense in verbs, and -ing denotes the present participle for verbs. Each of these endings alters the grammatical function of the base word but does not change its core meaning.

In contrast, the suffix -ly is not an inflectional ending. Instead, it is considered a derivational suffix because it transforms an adjective into an adverb (for example, "quick" becomes "quickly"). This change in the part of speech signifies a shift in meaning, which is characteristic of derivational suffixes rather than inflectional ones. Therefore, identifying -ly as the option that does not fall under inflectional endings is correct.