[C. INFLECTION.]
[397]. Inflection is the change which nouns, pronouns, and verbs undergo, to indicate their relation in a sentence.
The inflection of a noun or pronoun is often called Declension, and that of a verb, Conjugation.
[(A.) INFLECTION OF THE NOUN.]
[398]. The noun or pronoun is inflected by attaching case endings to the stem.
The endings, which are called case endings for brevity, indicate number as well as case, and serve also to distinguish gender words from neuters in the nominative and accusative singular of some stems, and of all plurals. These endings are nearly the same for stems of all kinds.
[THE STEM.]
[399]. The stem contains the meaning of the noun. Noun stems are arranged in the following order: (1.) stems in -ā-, in -o-, in a consonant, or in -i-; these are substantive, including proper names, or adjective; (2.) stems in -u- or -ē-; these are substantive only, and include no proper names.
[400]. In some instances, a final stem vowel is retained before a case ending which begins with a vowel: as, urbi-um, ācri-a, cornu-a, portu-ī, portu-um ([116, c]); in others the stem vowel blends inseparably with the vowel of the case ending: as, mēnsīs, dominīs ([108, a]).
[401]. Some nouns have more than one form of the stem: as,