Inflectional paradigm
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An inflectional paradigm is a table illustrating the forms of an inflected word.
With nominals like nouns and adjectives, case is frequently contrasted against gender or number. For example, the declension of the Old English stān 'stone' can be organized like this:
| Singular | Plural | |
| Nominative | stān | stānas |
| Accusative | stān | stānas |
| Genitive | stānes | stāna |
| Dative | stāne | stānum |
However, if there are multiple words or multiple gender-forms contrasted in one table, the number may appear alongside the case. The strong adjective declension of Old English with gōd 'good' is one such example.
| Masculine | Neuter | Feminine | ||
| Singular | Nominative | gōd | gōd | gōd |
| Accusative | gōdne | gōd | gōde | |
| Genitive | gōdes | gōdes | gōdre | |
| Dative | gōdum | gōdum | gōdre | |
| Instrumental | gōde | gōde | — | |
| Plural | Nominative | gōde | gōd(e) | gōda, -e |
| Accusative | gōde | gōd(e) | gōda, -e | |
| Genitive | — | gōdre | — | |
| Dative | — | gōdum | — | |
Verb paradigms are frequently organized as person against number or tense. Number can appear either alongside person or against it. When it is contrasted against it, person is usually represented by terms like "first person" and "second person." Take as an example the conjugation of German bringen 'to bring'.
| Singular | Plural | |
| First Person | bringe | bringen |
| Second Person | bringst | bringt |
| Third Person | bringt | bringen |
With multiple tenses or moods involved, number is often put with person to form a single column for each tense or mood form. In this case terms like "first person plural" and "second person singular" may be used, or the personal pronouns themselves may be present:
| Present | Past | |
| ich | bringe | brachte |
| du | bringst | brachtest |
| es | bringt | brachte |
| wir | bringen | brachten |
| ihr | bringt | brachtet |
| sie | bringen | brachten |
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