The process of forming “went” from “go” is an example of:

The process of forming “went” from “go” is an example of Suppletion. Suppletion is a specific type of irregular inflection where the inflected forms of a word are derived from completely different and historically unrelated roots. Instead of adding an affix or making a slight internal vowel change, the entire stem of the word changes. The verb “go” and its past tense form “went” are a classic example, as “went” originates from a different Old English verb root (wendan) than “go” (gan). Other common examples of suppletion in English include “good,” “better,” “best” and “be,” “is,” “was.”

• Option A, “Inflection,” is too general. Inflection is the process of adding suffixes (or making internal changes) to a word to indicate grammatical functions like tense, number, or case, without changing the word's fundamental meaning or part of speech. While “went” is an inflected form of “go,” suppletion describes the specific, radical nature of this particular inflection, making it a more precise answer.
• Option B, “Derivation,” is incorrect. Derivation is the process of forming a new word from an existing one, often changing its part of speech or significantly altering its meaning (e.g., “happy” -> “happiness,” “teach” -> “teacher”). “Went” is not a new word derived from “go”; it’s a grammatical form of the same verb.
• Option D, “Back formation,” is incorrect. Back-formation is a process where a new word is created by removing what is perceived to be an affix from an existing word (e.g., “editor” -> “edit,” “television” -> “televise”). This process does not apply to the formation of “went” from “go.”