- Elizabethans loved language.
- Even poorly-written plays usually rhymed and alliterated.
- The sound of the language was more important than the logic of sentence structure—if writers wanted to change word order or repeat words for emphasis, they did.
- Shakespeare introduced nearly 3,000 words into English.
- His vocabulary is upward of 29,000 words (quadruple that of an average well-educated person).
- Many words have shifted meaning since Shakespeare’s day, or have fallen out of use.
- Letters, syllables, or whole words were sometimes omitted. Examples:
- ’tis: it is
- o’er: over
- ne’er: never
- e’er / ere: ever
- oft: often
- e’en: even
- Word order was more flexible. Example:
- I ate the sandwich.
- I the sandwich ate.
- Ate the sandwich I.
- Ate I the sandwich.
- The sandwich I ate.
- The sandwich ate I.
- Pronunciation was quite different from ours, so Shakespeare’s perfect rhymes usually are imperfect rhymes to us.
- E.g. love / prove
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of shakespeare language worksheet.
