A Little Grammar Lesson OH, YAY!

First… a little review from elementary school. Do you remember what pronouns are, and how to use them?

PRONOUNS are words that take the place of nouns in a sentence: From this: Nate got up and Nate went downstairs and Nate ate a bowl of Cap’n Crunch. Then Nate went upstairs and Nate brushed Nate’s teeth. To this: Nate got up and he went downstairs and he ate a bowl of Cap’n Crunch. Then he went upstairs and he brushed his teeth.

The pronouns most commonly used in English are called PERSONAL PRONOUNS. They take the place of another word in a sentence. I You She, He, It We They

English used to have another pronoun that meant “YOU”. It’s called a “familiar” pronoun, used for people with whom you have a close relationship, like a family member or a sweetheart. They were also used for little children, animals, and even inanimate objects.

Consider the words from a wedding ceremony in Shakespeare’s time. “I, Martin, do take thee, Jane, as my lawful wedded wife.” “And I, Jane, do take thee, Martin, as my lawful wedded husband.” Make sense? These sentences are using the 2 nd person familiar object pronoun, “thee”, INSTEAD of the word “you”. Let’s look at a couple more.

Second Person Familiar Pronoun Form THOU – Subject form: "Thou art my brother.” THEE – Object form: "Come, let me see thee in the light.” THY – Possessive Adjective form: "What is thy wish, Cinderella?” THINE – Possessive Noun form: "To thine own self be true."

Plural Pronoun YE – Subject form: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Students who know French or Spanish probably know the “tu” form in that language, and when it is appropriate to use it. This is similar.

So… In the subject of a sentence, instead of saying YOU, they said THOU. You are my brother. VS Thou art my brother.

And… In the object of a sentence, instead of saying YOU, they said THEE. I take you as my lawful wedded wife. VS I take thee as my lawful wedded wife.

What is your wish, Cinderella?” THY To indicate possession:

One more… That cookie is yours. THINE.

Look familiar? Compare it to the First Person Singular Verb, “I”. First Person Second Person Familiar Subject form: I Thou Object form: MeThee Possessive Adjective form: MyThy Possessive Noun form: MineThine

Now… Take out your silent conversations and modify them, using the 2nd person familiar pronouns: thee, thou, thy, thine, ye

Verb Inflection Elizabethan language, though considered Early Modern English, still retained some verb inflections. Usually they simply add an -est or –st to a verb. These were used often with those 2nd person familiar pronouns you just practiced: "Thou liest, malignant thing!" "What didst thou hear in the street?" "Why canst thou not see the difference?"

Now… Try adding some verb inflections to your silent conversations. Go ahead and over-use them, just to get used to them. Sentences such as "What time would'st thou callest?" or "Didst thou drinkest thy Mountain Dew when thou wast thirsty?" sound just fine.

Caution… In Shakespeare’s time, they still used the verb “to do” a lot. They borrowed this from French. It’s weird. They used it for emphasis a lot, like this: “I do plan to go to the store tomorrow.” “Thou didst hurt my feelings, just now.” “He did eat eggs and bacon for breakfast.”

BONUS VERB: You can also add authenticity to the sound of your Shakespearean conversation if you change “BE” verbs: I am weary = I BE weary You are weary = Thou ART weary He is weary = He BE weary We are weary = We BE weary They are weary = They BE weary