English Declinables vs. Indeclinables

CHART: Declinables vs. Indeclinables in English Grammar

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
CategoryDeclinables ✍️
(Inflected or modified)		Indeclinables
(Fixed forms)
Nounsman → men, child → childrenMass nouns: advice, information, furniture
Pronounshe/him/his, I/me/mine, they/them/theirone, someone, everyone, each
Adjectivessome can compare: tall → taller → tallestmany adjectives (e.g., dead, perfect)
Verbsrun → ran → running, be → was → beenmodal verbs (can, must, should – no “-ing” or past forms for all)
Adverbsfew: fast → faster (gradable)now, here, never, always, too, very (not inflected)
PrepositionsNot inflectedto, at, in, under, without, despite
ConjunctionsNot inflectedand, but, although, unless, because
InterjectionsNot inflectedwow, oh, alas, ouch
Declinables vs. Indeclinables

KEY DEFINITIONS

  • Declinables: Words that change form to show number, case, tense, degree, etc.
  • Indeclinables: Words that remain the same in all contexts; they don’t inflect.
    • In Indian grammar terms, indeclinables ≈ अव्यय (avyaya)

PRACTICE EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Sort the Words

Sort the following into declinables and indeclinables:

he, run, because, on, under, good, me, must, very, teacher, those, quickly, who, never

Answer:

Declinables Indeclinables
he, run, good, me, teacher, those, who because, on, under, must, very, quickly, never

Exercise 2: Mark the Indeclinables

In the sentence below, identify all the indeclinable words:

Sentence: He must go, but not without his coat, even though it is very cold outside.

Indeclinables:

  • must (modal verb)
  • but (conjunction)
  • not (adverb)
  • without (preposition)
  • even (adverb)
  • though (conjunction)
  • very (adverb)
  • outside (adverb/preposition)

Exercise 3: Transform and Classify

Rewrite the sentence by changing the declinable words to different forms, and explain why the others are fixed.

Original: She runs fast and always wins the race.
Modified: They were running faster and often won the races.

Explanation:

  • runs → were running (verb inflection for tense and number)
  • fast → faster (gradable adverb)
  • wins → won (past tense)
  • race → races (plural noun)

Indeclinables Unchanged: and, always, the (articles are sometimes considered a class of their own but are indeclinable).

Exercise 4: Compare With Sanskrit/Kannada Grammar

Match English indeclinables to their Indian grammar equivalent.

English Word Kannada / Sanskrit Equivalent Meaning
and ಮತ್ತು / च connector
but ಆದರೆ / परंतु contrast
in ನಲ್ಲಿ / मध्ये location
must (no direct declension; modal avyaya) necessity

🧪 Exercise 5: Create Your Own

Write two original sentences:

  1. Using 3 indeclinable words.
  2. Using 3 declinable words (showing their inflected forms in a second sentence).

TEACHING TIP

When students understand indeclinables:

  • They realize not all words change their forms.
  • It becomes easier to spot function words (prepositions, conjunctions).
  • They make fewer errors in sentence construction.

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