Growth and Structure of the English Language |
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adjectives adopted adverb alliteration Arian authors back-formations belong Ben Jonson Beowulf borrowed called Celtic century Chaucer Christian classical consonant corresponding curious Danes Danish derived dialect Dictionary distinction England English language especially expression fact Fitzedward Hall foreign words formation French words genitive George Eliot German Germanic languages give grammar Grimm's law guages Hall Caine ideas important influence instance JESPERSEN King later Latin words learned less linguistic literary loan-words loans manner meaning mentioned Middle English Milton Modern English names nation native words natural Norse noun number of words Old English Old Norse ordinary originally participle perhaps period phonetic phrases plural ending poetical poetry poets preposition pronoun pronunciation prose rime Saxon Scandinavian sense sentence Shakesp Shakespeare signification Similarly sometimes sound speak speech spelling stress syllable synonyms syntax taken Tennyson tense Thackeray things thou tive tongue verb vocabulary vowel vulgar writes
Popular passages
Page 17 - I sometimes hold it half a sin To put in words the grief I feel ; For words, like Nature, half reveal And half conceal the Soul within.
Page 68 - And one of theym named sheffelde, a mercer, cam in-to an hows and axed for mete; and specyally he axyd after eggys; And the goode wyf answerde, that she coude speke no frenshe. And the marchaunt was angry, for he also coude speke no frenshe, but wolde haue hadde cgges and she vnderstode hym not. And thenne at laste a nother sayd that he wolde haue eyren.
Page 47 - England that there were very few on this side of the Humber who could understand their rituals in English, or translate a letter from Latin into English; and I believe that there were not many beyond the Humber. There were so few of them that I cannot remember a single one south of the Thames when I came to the throne.
Page 149 - One of those omnipresent characters who, as if in pursuance of some previous arrangement, are certain to be encountered in the vicinity when an accident occurs, ventured the suggestion. He deceased, he passed out of existence, his spirit quitted its earthly habitation, winged its way to eternity, shook off its burden, etc.
Page 68 - And that comyn englysshe that is spoken in one shyre varyeth from a nother.
Page 80 - I talk to thee For thou art worthy, Thou unassuming Common-place Of Nature, with that homely face, And yet with something of a grace Which Love makes for thee!
Page 147 - I HAVE no ear. — Mistake me not, reader — nor imagine that I am by nature destitute of those exterior twin appendages, hanging ornaments, and (architecturally speaking) handsome volutes to the human capital.
Page 68 - ... axyd after eggys. And the goode wyf answerde that she coude speke no Frenshe. And the marchaunt was angry, for he also coude speke no Frenshe, but wolde have hadde egges; and she understode hym not.
Page 240 - Hir othes been so grete and so dampnable, That it is grisly for to here hem swere; Our blissed lordes body they to-tere; Hem thoughte Jewes rente him noght y-nough; And ech of hem at otheres sinne lough.
Page 7 - Joseph, journeying brought To Glastonbury, where the winter thorn Blossoms at Christmas, mindful of our Lord. And there awhile it bode ; and if a man Could touch or see it, he was heal'd at once, By faith, of all his ills. But then the times Grew to such evil that the holy cup Was caught away to Heaven, and disappear'd.