Grammar

Question 1

What often happens in middle english with the ordering of the subject and the verb?

(example)

Answer 1

They are inverted e.g.

wol I wake = I shall wake up

knokke they = they knock

Question 2

In analysing difficult sentences, what are the steps you should take?

Try it with this sentence:

‘The burn blessed him bylive and the bredes passed, prayses the porter, before the prince kneled, gave him God and good day, that Gawan He save’

Answer 2

1. Locate the verb
2. Locate its subject
3. Locate the object or the compliment

‘The burn blessed him bylive and the bredes passed, prayses the porter, before the prince kneled, gave him God and good day, that Gawan He save’

The man crossed himself quickly and passed over the boards, compliments the porter, [who] was knelt before the prince. [The porter] wished him god day and commended him to God, [praying] that he would save Gawain’

Question 3

Things you may need to add into middle english writing to make it make sense in modern english (2)

Answer 3

1. Connecting words
2. Verbs, especially ‘to be’

Question 4

What might you need to do about number or tense in middle english?

Answer 4

Regularise it - in Middle English a subject can shift from singular to plural or the syntax from present to past within a sentence.

Question 5

What might you want to when translating ‘that’ into Modern English?

Answer 5

Try out different relative pronouns, such as who, whom, and which

Question 6

The prefix ther- in words such as ‘therto’ and ‘therwith’ often refers back to what?

What may ‘therto’ therefore be translated as?

Answer 6

The subject matter of the previous phrase.

‘Therto’ may be translated as ‘in addition to all that’ or ‘in order to achieve that’

Question 7

Certain verbs often appear as impersonal constructions in Middle English.

What does this mean?

Answer 7

That they use the third person neuter singular verb (sang, herde) with the object form of the personal pronoun (me, thee, hym, her, it, us, you, hem etc.)

Question 8

When an impersonal construction comes up, what is it often better to do?

Practice on ‘hym thynketh’, ‘hem leste’, and ‘me reweth’

Answer 8

Translate it into a more direct form, or into the passive tense:

hym thynketh => ‘it seems to him’ or ‘he thought’

hem leste => ‘it pleased him’

me reweth => ‘I regret’ (lit. ‘it rues [saddens] me’)

Question 9

Middle English loves reflexive pronouns.

What do you do when translating them into Modern English? Give two examples.

Answer 9

You either include it or ignore it (lol).

dressed hym upwards = took his place

gooth hym up = goes up

Question 10

How is a yogh pronounced?

Answer 10

‘y’ or ‘g’ or a combination of the two

Question 11

What is the inflexion for a verb in the first person singular?

I tell-

Answer 11

-e

I telle

Question 12

What is the inflexion for a verb in the second person singular?

Thou tell-

Answer 12

-est

Thou tellest

(or -es?)

Question 13

What is the inflexion for a verb in the third person singular?

She/ he tell-

Answer 13

-eth

She/ he telleth

(or -es?)

Question 14

What is the inflexion for a verb in the first, second, or third person plural?

We/ Ye/ They tell-

Answer 14

-en

We/ Ye/ They tellen

Question 15

With verbs, besides the first person singular, what can the ending -eth also indicate?

Answer 15

The singular imperative

Refuseth nat = Do not refuse

Question 16

So-called ‘strong’ verbs form the past by ___

E.g. sing, throw

So-called ‘weak’ verbs form the past by ___

E.g. wish, laugh

Answer 16

So-called ‘strong’ verbs form the past by changing the stem

E.g. sang, threw

So-called ‘weak’ verbs form the past by adding to the stem

E.g. wished, laughed

Why this makes one stronger or weaker than the other is beyond me. Patriarchy.

Question 17

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘strong’ verbs ___, while special considerations apply for the second person singular and the plural.

E.g. Sing

Answer 17

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘strong’ verbs change their stems

E.g. Sang or song

In the second person singular they also add an -e

E.g. Thou songe

And in the plural they an -en

E.g. We/ ye/ they songen

Question 18

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘weak’ verbs add ___ or ___ to the first person singular.

E.g. Here and fele

Answer 18

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘weak’ verbs add -de or -te to the first person singular.

E.g. Herde and felte

Question 19

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘weak’ verbs add ___ to the second person singular.

E.g. Here

Answer 19

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘weak’ verbs add -dest (i.e. -de + -st) to the second person singular.

E.g. Thou herdest

Question 20

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘weak’ verbs add ___ to the plural.

E.g. Fele

Answer 20

To form the past tense in Middle English, ‘weak’ verbs add -ten (i.e. -te + -e) to the plural.

E.g. We/ ye/ they felten

Question 21

The past tense is often formed using the auxiliary verb ___ with the ___ ___.

E.g. Absolon ___ ___ his mouth means ‘Absolon wiped his mouth’, the folk ___ ___ means ‘the people laughed’

Answer 21

The past tense is often formed using the auxiliary verb gan with the past participle.

E.g. Absolon gan wype his mouth means ‘Absolon wiped his mouth’, the folk gan laughen means ‘the people laughed’

Question 22

Where ‘gan’ is used with an infinitive verb, usually with ‘to’, it can mean ___.

E.g. he gan to cry means ___.

However, frequently these cases also need to be translated using the ___ past tense.

E.g. gan to rynge means ___.

Answer 22

Where ‘gan’ is used with an infinitive verb, usually with ‘to’, it can mean began.

E.g. he gan to cry means ‘he began to cry.

However, frequently these cases also need to be translated using the simple past tense.

E.g. gan to rynge means ‘rang’.

Question 23

Some verbs add an initial _ or _ to the past participle.

E.g. _cleped means ‘called’, and _crowe means ‘crowed’

Answer 23

Some verbs add an initial i or y to the past participle.

E.g. ycleped means ‘called’, and ycrowe means ‘crowed’

Question 24

Plural nouns are generally formed by adding ___ or ___ to singular nouns. Ocassionally there are irregulars e.g. instrument_.

Note that ___ are formed in the same way as plural nouns.

E.g. the Kinges Noote or Goddes pryvetee

Answer 24

Plural nouns are generally formed by adding -s or -es to singular nouns. Ocassionally there are irregulars e.g. instrumentz.

Note that possessives are formed in the same way as plural nouns.

E.g. the Kinges Noote means ‘the King’s Tune’ or Goddes pryvetee means ‘God’s secrets’

Question 25

Some nouns add ___ for plural, such as ___ for ‘eyes’.

A few have the ___ form in ___ and plural. Example with the noun ‘thing’.

Also some mutated plurals, such as ___.

Answer 25

Some nouns add -en for plural, such as eyen for ‘eyes’.

A few have the same form in singular and plural. o thing means ‘one thing’, while certeyn thing means ‘certain things’.

Also some mutated plurals, such as men.

Question 26

Most adjectives ___ ___ take a plural ending, although monosyllabic adjectives add ___ to pluralize.

E.g. a yong squire but yong_ women.

In some circumstances, an -e is added in the singular, such as when the adjective appears with a ___ article, or with a ___ article.

E.g. ___ yonge sonne, ___ yonge wyf, ___ ilke nyght.

Answer 26

Most adjectives do not take a plural ending, although monosyllabic adjectives add -e to pluralize.

E.g. a yong squire but yonge women.

In some circumstances, an -e is added in the singular, such as when the adjective appears with a definite article, or with a demonstrative article.

E.g. the yonge sonne, this yonge wyf, that ilke nyght.

Question 27

Some adjectives are converted to adverbs by the addition of ___, such as fair_, ‘fairly’, and bright_, ‘brightly’

Answer 27

Some adjectives are converted to adverbs by the addition of -e, such as faire, ‘fairly’, and brighte, ‘brightly’

Question 28

Sometimes ___ ___ and ___ adverbs are merged into associative verbs.

E.g. hast thow? becomes ___?

• ne wiste*, ‘did not know’, becomes ___
• ne wolde*, ‘did not wish’, becomes ___.

Answer 28

Sometimes personal pronouns and negative adverbs are merged into associative verbs.

E.g. hast thow? becomes hastow?

• ne wiste*, ‘did not know’, becomes nyste
• ne wolde*, ‘did not wish’, becomes nolde.

Question 29

In Middle English, double negatives act as ___ and do not ___ each other ___.

For triple negative, ___ both parts of the double negative ____ the verb. In other words, triple = ___.

E.g. noon of us ne speke nat a word becomes ___, not ___

Answer 29

In Middle English, double negatives act as intensifiers and do not cancel each other out.

For triple negative, omit both parts of the double negative around the verb. In other words, triple = singular.

E.g. noon of us ne speke nat a word becomes ‘none of us says a word’, not ‘none of us says not a word’