* Inflection: This refers to changes in a word's form to indicate grammatical function or meaning. For nouns, typical inflections include:
* Pluralization: Adding -s, -es, or other endings to make the noun plural (e.g., cat - cats, box - boxes).
* Possessive: Adding -'s or -s' to show possession (e.g., the cat's tail, the boxes' contents).
* Case: Some languages have different forms for the noun depending on its role in a sentence (e.g., subject vs. object).
* Uninflected: This term would suggest a noun that doesn't change form, which is uncommon. Most nouns have at least one inflection, even if it's just pluralization.
What you might be thinking of:
* Uncountable Nouns: These are nouns that don't typically have plural forms (e.g., information, happiness, advice). They're not "uninflected" in the sense of not changing, but rather their singular form often acts as both singular and plural.
* Proper Nouns: These are names of specific people, places, or things (e.g., John, London, the Eiffel Tower). They generally don't change form for pluralization or possession.
In summary: The term "uninflected noun" isn't a standard grammatical term. It's more helpful to understand the concepts of countable vs. uncountable nouns and proper nouns, which are often used to describe nouns that don't follow typical inflection patterns.