What is the function of inflectional suffixes?

Inflectional suffixes serve the primary function of modifying a word's tense, mood, aspect, person, number, or case without changing the fundamental meaning of the root word. For instance, adding "-ed" to a verb creates the past tense, while adding "-s" can denote the plural form of a noun. This allows for grammatical forms that convey necessary details about the action, subject, or object involved, enhancing clarity in language.

In contrast, other choices either misrepresent the purpose of inflectional suffixes or relate to different types of morphological changes. For example, changing the part of speech pertains to derivational suffixes instead, which create new words altogether, whereas synonyms refer to different words with similar meanings rather than alterations of existing ones. Therefore, the correct answer emphasizes the specific role of inflectional suffixes in grammatical adjustments rather than the creation of new terms or the provision of synonymous meanings.