Shakespeare’s Development of Early Modern English

How he changed grammar Invented suffixes. Made nouns into verbs Invented 1,700 words Also invented many common phrases that we still use today. He was able to change words and phrases because English was changing as people modernized it in their normal speaking habits.

Continued Through the influx of European words into the English language because of the Renaissance cross-pollination. That gave Shakespeare endless opportunities to create new meaning for English words. For example, “Light, seeking light, doth light of light beguile.”

Common Words Invented Invented 1,700 words out of the 17,677 words he used in his writing. Invented: accommodation, apostrophe, assassination, bloody, bump, control (noun), countless, courtship, critic, dislocate, exposure, frugal, generous, gloomy, hurry, laughable, lonely, majestic, misplaced, obscene, road, submerge, suspicious.

Changing of Ye and Thou Thou was one person. Ye was two or more people. By the time of Modern English, the difference between subject and object had nearly vanished. You became the norm in grammatical and social situations.

Use of You and Thou The use of thou and you had emotional meanings. Thou usually expressed feeling of affection Thou also can be used to show anger by insulting the person. You showed formality, politeness, and distance. This meaning of you is still used in French with the use of vous and tu.

Phrases He Invented “Break the ice.” “All that glitters isn’t gold.” “Leapfrog” “Housekeeping”

Other Phrases He Invented “Heart of gold” “Long-haired” “Green Eyed Monster”

Shakespeare's Insults “Though art like a toad; ugly and venomous.” “Thine face is not worth sun burning.” “You are as a candle, the better burnt out.”

Works Cited "Shakespeare Insults: Top 30 Shakespearean Insults & Put Downs." Shakespeare Resources: Modern English Shakespeare Translations. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Apr

“PEACE, YE FAT GUTS!”