Manson Family Member Tex Watson

Manson Family Member Tex Watson Charles Tex Watson went from being an A student in his Texas high school to being Charles Mansons right-hand man and a cold-blooded murderer. He led the killing spree at both the Tate and LaBianca residences and participated in killing each member of both households. Found guilty of killing seven people, Watson is now living his life out in prison, he is an ordained minister, married and father of three, and claims he feels remorse for those he murdered. Charles Watsons Childhood Years Charles Denton Watson was born in Dallas, Texas on December 2, 1945. His parents settled in Copeville, Texas, a small impoverished town where they worked at the local gas station and spent time at their church. The Watsons believed in the American dream and worked hard to provide better lives for their three children, of which Charles was the youngest. Their lives were financially modest, but their children were happy and following proper paths. Early Teens and College Years As Charles got older he became involved in his parents church, the Copeville Methodist Church. There he led devotions for the church youth group and regularly attended the Sunday night evangelistic services. In  high school, he was an honor roll student and a  good athlete and earned the reputation as a local track star by breaking records in high hurdles. He also worked as the editor of the school paper. Watson was determined to attend college and worked at an onion packing plant to save money. Living in his small hometown was beginning to close in on him and the thought of gaining freedom and independence by attending college 50 miles away from home was appealing. In September 1964, Watson went to Denton, Texas and began his first year at North Texas State University (NTSU). His parents were proud of their son and Watson was excited and ready to enjoy his newfound freedom. At college academia quickly took a second seat to going to parties. Watson joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity in his second semester and his focus switched from his classes to sex and alcohol. He participated in some of the fraternity pranks, some more serious than others. One involved stealing, and for the first time in his life  he had to disappoint his parents by admitting he broke the law. His parents lectures failed to deter his wish to get back to the campus fun. Watsons First Exposure to Drugs In January 1967 he began working at Braniff Airlines as a baggage boy. He earned free airline tickets which he used to impress his girlfriends by taking them for weekend trips to Dallas and Mexico. He was getting a taste for a world away from Texas and he liked it. During a visit to a fraternity brothers home in Los Angeles, Watson was taken in by the psychedelic atmosphere of drugs and free love which took over Sunset Strip during the 60s. From Texas to California Against his parents wishes, by August 1967, Watson left NTSU and was on his way to total freedom - Los Angeles. To keep a promise to his parents to finish college he began attending classes at Cal State in business administration. His cherished frat clothes were tossed away for the cooler hippie look and his preferred high switched from alcohol to marijuana. Watson enjoyed becoming part of the group who separated themselves from the establishment and they accepted him. Within months of being there, Watson took a job as a wig salesman and quit Cal State. He moved to West Hollywood and  then to Laurel Canyon in a house behind the strip. His mother came to visit him just one time after he was hurt in a serious car accident. Unimpressed with his lifestyle, she begged him to return to Texas and although a part of him wanted to return to his hometown, pride kept him from going. He would not see her again until after he was on the run for killing seven people. Watson began dealing marijuana and he and his roommate opened a wig shop called Love Locs. It closed quickly and Watson began relying on drug dealing to pay for his new Malibu beach home. His desires to earn money soon dissipated to wanting to get high, go to rock concerts and lay on the beach. He finally evolved into what he thought was a full-time hippie and he felt he had found his place in the world. The Meeting That Changed His Life Forever Watsons life changed forever after picking up a hitchhiker who was Dennis Wilson, a member of the rock group, the Beach Boys. After arriving at Wilsons Pacific Palisades mansion, Wilson invited Watson up to see the house and meet the people hanging out there. He was introduced to various people, including Dean Moorehouse, an ex-Methodist minister and Charlie Manson. Wilson invited Watson to return to the mansion anytime to hang out and swim in the Olympic-sized pool. The mansion was filled with dropouts who hung out doing drugs and listening to music. Waston eventually moved into the mansion where he mingled with rock musicians, actors, children of stars, Hollywood producers, Charlie Manson and members of the Manson Love Family. He was impressed with himself, the boy from Texas - rubbing elbows with the famous and he was drawn to Manson and his family, drawn to Mansons prophesizing and to the relationship his family members seemed to have with one another. Heavy Hallucinogens Watson began doing heavy hallucinogens regularly and became consumed by a new drug-induced perspective in which he believed love and deep bonds to others were formed. He described it as a kind of connection even deeper and better than sex. His friendship with Dean had deepened as well as with many of Mansons girls, both of whom encouraged Watson to rid himself from his ego, and join the Manson family. Joining the Manson Family: Wilson began to pull away from the regulars who were living in his mansion after complaints of sexual child abuse circulated. His manager told Dean, Watson and others living there that they would have to move. With nowhere to go, Dean and Watson turned to Charlie Manson. Acceptance wasnt immediate, but in time Watsons name changed from Charles to Tex, he turned over all of his possessions to Charlie and moved in with the family. Next Helter-Skelter See Also: The Manson Family Photo Album Source:Desert Shadows by Bob MurphyHelter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt GentryThe Trial of Charles Manson by Bradley Steffens

BELL Surname Meaning and Family History

BELL Surname Meaning and Family History The Bell surname may derive from the French bel, meaning fair , beautiful, or handsome. Since the derivation is descriptive, common ancestry cannot be assumed for all those bearing the surname. The name was sometimes taken from the sign of an inn or shop. The sign of a bell was frequently used - John at the Bell became John Bell. There is no particular country or province of origin, though the name was fairly prevalent in medieval Scotland and England. Bell is the 67th most popular surname in the United States and the 36th most common surname in Scotland. Mitchell is also popular in England, coming in as the 58th most common surname. Surname Origin:   Scottish, English Alternate Surname Spellings:   BELLE, BEALE, BEAL, BEALS, BEALES, BALE, BEEL, BIEHL, BALE, BEALL Where is the BELL Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, Bell is a fairly common surname in a number of English-speaking countries, including the United States (ranked 64th), England (60th), Australia (46th), Scotland (43rd), New Zealand (46th) and Canada (77th). Within the British Isles, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler, the Bell last name is most common in the northern areas, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the North of England. Famous People with the Last Name BELL Alexander Graham Bell - Scottish-born American inventor; known for his patent for the telephoneGertrude Bell - British writer, archaeologist and political officer best known for helping to establish modern Iraq after World War I.Cool Papa Bell - Hall of Fame baseball pitcher who played in the  Negro National LeagueJohn Bell - U.S. Senator from Tennessee who ran for U.S. President on the  Constitutional Union ticket in 1860Glen Bell - American entrepreneur who founded Taco Bell Genealogy Resources for the Surname BELL 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Bell  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Bell  family crest or coat of arms for the Bell surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. The Bell  Surname DNA ProjectIndividuals with the Bell  surname are invited to participate in this group DNA project in an attempt to learn more about Bell family origins around the world. The website includes information on the project, the research done to date, and instructions on how to participate. BELL  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Bell  ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - BELL  GenealogyExplore over 4  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Bell  surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BELL  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Bell  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - BELL  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Bell. GeneaNet - Bell RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Bell  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Bell  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Bell  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back toGlossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Environment, soil survey and land suitability assessment for Coursework

Environment, soil survey and land suitability assessment for conservation management - Coursework Example Center of discussion in this paper is a land-use as a kind of land use which is described in terms of its products as well as management practices. For efficient reconnaissance surveys being conducted at the national levels, highly generalized descriptions may be adequate i.e. â€Å"wildlife habitat†, â€Å"forestry conservation†. At district as well as lower levels, it is vital to specify the use in more details. Such descriptions usually serve two purposes. First they are the basis of determining the requirements for use. Secondly, the management specifications can be used as the basis for the extension services as well as the planning for the necessary inputs. The particular land use requirements are usually illustrated by the land qualities required for the sustained production. A land quality is a very complex attribute of land which usually has a direct effect on the land use. The various examples are the availability of water, nutrients, rooting conditions and er osion hazards. Most of the given lands qualities are determined by the interaction of the several land characteristics as well as measurable attributes of a land. For example, the quality â€Å"availability of water† is usually determined by the potential balance between the water demand as well as the water supply. The water demand is the potential evaporation from the surface of the crop as well as the soil whereas the water supply is determined by the rainfall, infiltration, water storage in the soil and the ability of the grassland to extract the stored water. After selection of the relevant land qualities, it is vital to decide which particular land characteristics are to be used for measuring them. For instance, the quality â€Å"erosion hazard† demands information on rainfall intensity, slope angle as well as soil properties. A compromise is then reached between the characteristics that most define the given land quality with those that are less precise. Land evaluation can also at times be conducted directly in terms of the land characteristics i.e. by using rainfall as opposed to water availability, slope angle instead of erosion hazards. Despite the above, the following are the land suitability constraints that are imposed by the interaction of the soil, climate, topographic, hydrological as well as the geological factors. Mapping of land units and their characteristics The land is first identified as a basis for diagnosis of problems. The given units are then mapped into more details i.e. by dividing the land

Systematic Comparison between Traditional and Agile Methods Essay

Systematic Comparison between Traditional and Agile Methods - Essay Example Some do not go through all the stages while others may pass through one stage more than once. The Traditional approach involves designing a detailed plan before the start of the project and strictly adhering to it. Therefore, the whole project is clear to the developers before it is started. Agile project management is a collaborative approach in which all the team members are involved in the project. It involves an iterative process in which managers facilitate the working of the team and it requires regular adaptation to changing situations. The project plan is flexible and is not developed at the beginning of the project. Instead, it is developed throughout the project. The end result of the project is not predictable. This discussion explores the comparison between traditional and agile project management approaches. Traditional Project Management Approaches The traditional approach to project management consists of five components namely initiation, planning, execution, monitori ng and control, closure. Some traditional project management methods include linear and incremental project management lifecycle. Linear project management lifecycle does not allow any changes in the project plan. ... Scheduling the whole project before starting it gives the team a clear picture of what is expected to be done and who is responsible for each task. Moreover, details about the resources necessary for the completion of the project are known from the beginning. This approach does not require people with a lot of skills and supervision is not necessary as all the project details are written down. Co-location of team members is not necessary as each person has details of the part he/she is expected to play. It also has disadvantages. This model does not allow for changes. It is also very costly. It does not produce deliverables until in the late stages of the project. In addition, preparing a complete plan beforehand is time wasting. The process is rigid and there is no going back to make changes. This model is focused on the timely completion of the project within the available budget but not on client value (Wysocki 2011). Incremental project management life cycle consists of several d ependent increments, each with the lifecycle components of execution, monitoring, and project closure. These increments are accomplished in a prearranged sequence. The characteristics of the incremental project management lifecycle method are similar to those of the linear approach. The deliverables in this model are released against a schedule that is more aggressive. Advantages include the following: The business value is produced early and not at the end of the project like in linear approach. This model can allow for some changes in the scope of the project. It focuses on the client value more than the linear approach. It also facilitates the scheduling of few resources better. Some disadvantages include the following: Team members can be lost in between increments. It

Explaining The Purpose Of The Main Financial Statements Finance Essay

Explaining The Purpose Of The Main Financial Statements Finance Essay A financial statement (or financial report) is a formal record of the financial activities of a business, person, or other entity. In British English-including United Kingdom company law-a financial statement is often referred to as an account, although the term financial statement is also used, particularly by accountants. For a business enterprise, all the relevant financial information, presented in a structured manner and in a form easy to understand, are called the financial statements. They typically include four basic financial statements: Balance sheet: also referred to as statement of financial position or condition, reports on a companys assets, liabilities, and Ownership equity at a given point in time. Income statement: also referred to as Profit and Loss statement (or a PL), reports on a companys income, expenses, and profits over a period of time. Profit Loss account provide information on the operation of the enterprise. These include sale and the various expenses incurred during the processing state. Statement of retained earnings: explains the changes in a companys retained earnings over the reporting period. Statement of cash flows: reports on a companys cash flow activities, particularly its operating, investing and financing activities. For large corporations, these statements are often complex and may include an extensive set of notes to the financial statements and management discussion and analysis. The notes typically describe each item on the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement in further detail. Notes to financial statements are considered an integral part of the financial statements. The Balance Sheet The balance sheets purpose is to show the assets of the company. Balance sheets are based on a fix point called a reporting perioda day, a month, a quarter, a year. A quick glance at a balance sheet will show you what the company owns and how much it owes. Balance sheets include assets (property, cash, anything owned of value), liabilities (debt owed) and shareholders equity. Income Statements Income statements show the revenue earned during a reporting period.  Included in this report are the expenses and cost of creating the revenue. Once the expenses and costs are removed from the total revenue, the bottom line of the report reveals whether or not the company lost money or made money. This report is sometimes referred to as the profit and loss statement. Another feature of the income statement is the EPS, or earnings per share. This reveals what a shareholder would receive if you were being paid dividends per each share owned. Cash Flow Statements Cash on hand is important because it supports the daily activities of a business. There must be enough cash on hand to pay expenses and buy assets as needed. Cash flow statements track the inflow and outflow of cash. They reveal whether or not cash was generated by the business. The data for a cash flow statement comes from an income statement and the balance sheet. The cash flow statement reveals net decreases or increases of cash for the reporting period. Retained Earnings Once liabilities and assets are known and a balance sheet is created, it is known whether or not the shareholders have a positive or negative equity. From the equity is taken retained earnings. Retained earnings are broken down and explained in the statement of retained earnings. This statement reveals what the company keeps and does not distribute to the owners and how that amount changes over the reporting period. Losses are called accumulated losses, retained losses or accumulated deficit. Financial Statements Once a set of financial statements are prepared they can be used for loan applications, fund-raising or to place a value on a business. But they are typically used for making business decisions that will affect operations. The numbers and calculations in the financial statements are also used to calculate ratios and make further analysis. Common figures derived are operating margins, debt-to-equity ratio, P/E, working capital and inventory turnover Purpose of financial statements by business entities The objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of an enterprise that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions. Financial statements should be understandable, relevant, reliable and comparable. Reported assets, liabilities and equity are directly related to an organizations financial position. Reported income and expenses are directly related to an organizations financial performance. Financial statements are intended to be understandable by readers who have a reasonable knowledge of business and economic activities and accounting and who are willing to study the information diligently. Financial statements may be used by users for different purposes: Owners and managers require financial statements to make important business decisions that affect its continued operations. Financial analysis is then performed on these statements to provide management with a more detailed understanding of the figures. These statements are also used as part of managements annual report to the stockholders. Employees also need these reports in making collective bargaining agreements (CBA) with the management, in the case of labor unions or for individuals in discussing their compensation, promotion and rankings. Prospective investors make use of financial statements to assess the viability of investing in a business. Financial analyses are often used by investors and are prepared by professionals (financial analysts), thus providing them with the basis for making investment decisions. Financial institutions (banks and other lending companies) use them to decide whether to grant a company with fresh working capital or extend debt securities (such as a long-term bank loan or debentures) to finance expansion and other significant expenditures. Government entities (tax authorities) need financial statements to ascertain the propriety and accuracy of taxes and other duties declared and paid by a company. Vendors who extend credit to a business require financial statements to assess the creditworthiness of the business. Media and the general public are also interested in financial statements for a variety of reasons. Financial ratio analysis groups the ratios into categories which tell us about different facets of a companys finances and operations. An overview of some of the categories of ratios is given below. * Leverage Ratios which show the extent that debt is used in a companys capital structure. * Liquidity Ratios which give a picture of a companys short term financial situation or solvency. * Operational Ratios which use turnover measures to show how efficient a company is in its operations and use of assets. * Profitability Ratios which use margin analysis and show the return on sales and capital employed. * Solvency Ratios which give a picture of a companys ability to generate cash flow and pay it financial obligations. Differences between the formats of financial statements for 3 different type of business- sole proprietorship, partnership and Limited company Government financial statements The rules for the recording, measurement and presentation of government financial statements may be different from those required for business and even for non-profit organizations. They may use either of two accounting methods: accrual accounting, or cash accounting, or a combination of the two (OCBOA). A complete set of chart of accounts is also used that is substantially different from the chart of a profit-oriented business Financial statements of non-profit organizations The financial statements of non-profit organizations that publish financial statements, such as charitable organizations and large voluntary associations, tend to be simpler than those of for-profit corporations. Often they consist of just a balance sheet and a statement of activities (listing income and expenses) similar to the Profit and Loss statement of a for-profit. Personal financial statements Personal financial statements may be required from persons applying for a personal loan or financial aid. Typically, a personal financial statement consists of a single form for reporting personally held assets and liabilities (debts), or personal sources of income and expenses, or both. The form to be filled out is determined by the organization supplying the loan or aid. Differences between Sole Proprietorship, Partnership Corporation I want to do this! Whats This? There are a number of different types of business organizations an individual or a group can form. However, three of the most common types of business organizations are sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations. These three types of businesses are similar in some ways, but a number of differences are important to note. Formation A sole proprietorship or a partnership may be formed without filing any formal paperwork. The creators of a corporation, however, must file a document known as the articles of incorporation. Liability The owner(s) of a sole proprietorship or a partnership may be held liable for any business activity and/or obligation. Corporate shareholders, however, usually are liable only for the amount they invested. Record Keeping Corporations are required to keep strict records of meetings and other similar administrative activities, while a sole proprietorship or a partnership typically is not required to do so. Size A sole proprietorship can have only a single owner, but a partnership or a corporation may have any number of owners. Taxes The owner of a sole proprietorship is required only to report the business earnings on her tax return, while a corporation or a partnership must file a separate return for the business. BASIC FINANCIAL STATEMENT FORMAT PARTNERSHIP When preparing financial statements by hand the Income Statement would usually be prepared first because the net income or loss becomes part of the Statement of Partners Capital. The Statement of Partners Capital is usually prepared second because the ending partners capital balances become part of the Balance Sheet. Corporations are subject to income taxes but sole proprietorships and partnerships are not. Otherwise the income statements of each are identical. Income Statement (single-step format): HANSON RETAIL FOOD STORE Income Statement Year Ended December 31, 2006 Net Sales $262,000 Rent revenue 6,900 Interest revenue 1,400 Total Revenue 270,300 Expenses: Cost of Goods Sold $159,000 Salaries and wages 45,000 Advertising 12,400 Freight out 4,000 Depreciation 5,000 Taxes and licenses 3,000 Rent 6,300 Interest expense 350 Loss on sale of assets 250 Property taxes 2,000 Total expense 237,300 Net Income (loss) $ 33,000 ======== Owners equity statements of corporations are called Statement of Retained Earnings, those of sole proprietorships are called Statement of Capital and those of partnerships are called Statement of Partners Capital. Statement of Partners Capital: HANSEN RETAIL FOOD STORE Statement of Partners Capital Year Ended December 31, 2005 John Soo Mary Doe Totals Beginning balance $ 24,000 $ 33,000 $ 57,000 Net income (loss) 16,500 16,500 33,000 40,500 49,500 90,000 Withdrawals 500 1,500 2,000 Ending balance $ 40,000 $ 48,000 $ 88,000 =========== =========== ====== Balance Sheets of corporations have a Shareholders Equity section whereas sole proprietorships have an Owners Capital section and partnerships have a Partners Capital section. Otherwise the Balance Sheets would be identical. Balance Sheet: HANSEN RETAIL FOOD STORE Balance Sheet December 31, 2006 ASSETS Current Assets: Cash $ 3,000 Short-term investments/marketable securities 6,000 Accounts receivable, net 5,000 Inventory 10,000 Prepaid rent 2,000 Office supplies on hand 1,000 Total current assets 27,000 Long-Lived Assets: Long-term investments $ 10,000 Land 35,000 Building 86,000 Machinery equipment 50,000 Less accumulated depreciation ( 23,000) Patents 4,000 Total long-lived assets 162,000 Total Assets $189,000 ======== LIABILITIES Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 4,200 Notes payable 15,000 Interest payable 1,000 Wages payable 800 Total current liabilities 21,000 Long-Term Liabilities: Mortgage payable $ 30,000 Bonds payable 50,000 Total long-term liabilities 80,000 Total Liabilities 101,000 PARTNERS CAPITAL John Soo, Capital 40,000 Mary Doe, Captial 48,000 Total Partners Capital 88,000 Total Liabilities and Owners Equity $189,000 TASK 2 Last Year Current Ratio = C.A / C.L = 21 / 15 = 1.4 Acid Test = C.A / C.L = 15 / 15 = 0 Net Profit Margin = N.P / Sales =37/499 =0.07 Gross Profit Margin = G.P / Sales =99/499 =0.20 Return on Capital Employed = N.P / Equit + Debt = 17 / 75 = 0.23 Return on Ordinary Share holder fund = N.P after tax / Ordinary share holder equity = 17 / 14 = 1.2 Average Stock Turnover period = Avg Stock / CGS * 365 = 6 /400 X 365 =5.5 =6days Current Year Current Ratio = C.A / C.L = 11 / 11 = 0 Acid Test = C.A / C.L = 7 / 11 = 0.64 Net Profit Margin = N.P / Sales = 32 / 502 = 0. 06 Gross Profit Margin = G.P / Sales = 132 / 502 = 0.26 Return on Capital Employed = N.P / Equit + Debt = 5 / 79 = 0.06 Return on Ordinary Share holder fund = N.P after tax / Ordinary share holder equity = 5 / 14 = 0.36 Average Stock Turnover period = Avg Stock / CGS * 365 = 4 / 370365 =3.95 = 4 days

Why Tobacco Advertising Should Be Made Illigal

Tobacco advertising should be made illegal. First of all it is correspondent with growing death rate. In average, over 400  000 people die from tobacco usage every year. We should not support tobacco advertising when it is harmful to everyone. The only kind of advertising that has to deal with tobacco should be associated with stop smoking.Such advertising should help people to bring up smoking or should inform people about risks of smoking and about consequences that are involved. Comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and promoting can result in a considerable reduction of tobacco consumption on a national level. Tobacco advertising should be banned from television, billboards, magazines, the internet and other places where one might find the advertising.Tobacco advertising is one of the worst kinds of advertising because it is pretty much telling everyone that it is okay to smoke because others are doing it also. Furthermore, tobacco advertising must be forbidden because it w ould be the most effective among teenagers, the easiest to be influenced by bad examples, fashions and emulation because of their psychological immaturity that lead them to adopt smoking as a mask to appear and feel themselves more adult.Tobacco advertising must be banned forever only thinking to how much the cures against cancer, too frequently useless, are expensive for the sanitary systems of all the world; these very high costs have surely never been paid by tobacco multinationals, except for the damages paid, after recent long trials, to a minimum part of the victims of this â€Å"trendy† and â€Å"safe† vice.

Definition and Examples of Inflections in English Grammar

Inflection refers to  a process of word formation in which items are added to the base form of a word to express grammatical meanings. The word inflection comes from the Latin inflectere, meaning to bend. Inflections in English grammar include the genitive s; the plural -s; the third-person singular -s; the past tense -d, -ed, or -t; the negative particle nt; -ing forms of verbs; the comparative -er; and the superlative -est. While inflections take a variety of forms, they are most often prefixes or suffixes. They are used to express different grammatical categories. For example, the inflection  -s  at the end of dogs shows that the noun is plural. The same  inflection  -s  at the end of  runs  shows that the subject is in the third-person singular (s/he runs). The inflection -ed is often used to indicate the past tense, changing walk to walked and listen to listened. In this way, inflections are used to show grammatical categories such as  tense,  person, and number. Inflections can also be used to indicate a words part of speech. The prefix en-, for example, transforms the noun gulf into the verb engulf. The suffix -er transforms the verb read into the noun reader. In The Frameworks of English, Kim Ballard writes, When considering inflections, it can...be helpful to use the notion of a  stem.  A stem is what remains of a word when any inflections are removed from it. In other words, inflections are added to the stem of a word. So  frogs  is made up of the stem frog  and the inflection  -s, while  turned  is made up of the stem  turn  and the inflection  -ed. Inflection Rules English words follow different rules for inflection based on their part of speech and grammatical category. The most common rules are listed below. Part of Speech Grammatical Category Inflection Examples Noun Number -s, -es Flower → FlowersGlass → Glasses Noun, Pronoun Case (Genitive) -'s, -', -s Paul → Paul'sFrancis → Francis'It → Its Pronoun Case (Reflexive) -self, -selves Him → HimselfThem → Themselves Verb Aspect (Progressive) -ing Run → Running Verb Aspect (Perfect) -en, -ed Fall → (Has) fallenFinish → (Has) finished Verb Tense (Past) -ed Open → Opened Verb Tense (Present) -s Open → Opens Adjective Degree of Comparison (Comparative) -er Smart → Smarter Adjective Degree of Comparison (Superlative) -est Smart → Smartest Not all English words follow the rules in this table. Some are inflected using sound changes known as vowel alternations, the most common of which are ablauts and umlauts. The word teach, for example, is marked as past tense by changing its vowel sound, producing the word  taught (rather than teached). Likewise, the word goose is pluralized by changing its vowel sound to produce the word geese. Other irregular plurals include words like oxen, children, and teeth. Some words, such as must and ought, are never inflected at all, no matter the context in which they appear. These words are considered invariant. Many animal nouns share the same singular and plural forms, including bison, deer, moose, salmon, sheep, shrimp, and squid. Conjugation The inflection of English verbs is also known as conjugation. Regular verbs follow the rules listed above and consist of three parts: the base verb (present tense), the base verb plus -ed (simple past tense), and the base verb plus -ed (past participle). For example, following these rules, the verb look (as in, I look around the room) becomes, in both the simple past tense and the past participle, looked (I looked around the room, I have looked around the room). While most verbs follow these conjugation rules, there are over 200 words in the English language that do not. These irregular verbs include be, begin, bid, bleed, catch, deal, drive, eat, feel, find, forget, go, grow, hang, have, hide, leave, lose, meet, pay, prove, ride, ring, seek, send, shall, shine, show, sing, spin, steal, take, tear, wear, and win. Since these words do not follow the rules for most English verbs, their unique conjugations must be learned on their own. ​Sources S. Greenbaum, The Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1996.R. Carter and M. McCarthy, Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press, 2006.Kim Ballard, The Frameworks of English: Introducing Language Structures, 3rd ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.A. C. Baugh, A History of the English Language, 1978.Simon Horobin,  How English Became English. Oxford University Press, 2016.