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Shakespeare's Impact on English

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He is considered England's national poet and had a significant influence on the development of the English language. At the time Shakespeare was writing, the English language was constantly evolving through influences like war and exploration. Shakespeare helped expand the scope of English literature by introducing new words and phrases. Many common phrases in modern English can be traced back to Shakespeare's original use of them. The English language prior to Shakespeare's time was less standardized, but his works helped contribute to establishing grammar, spelling and vocabulary conventions.

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115 views2 pages

Shakespeare's Impact on English

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He is considered England's national poet and had a significant influence on the development of the English language. At the time Shakespeare was writing, the English language was constantly evolving through influences like war and exploration. Shakespeare helped expand the scope of English literature by introducing new words and phrases. Many common phrases in modern English can be traced back to Shakespeare's original use of them. The English language prior to Shakespeare's time was less standardized, but his works helped contribute to establishing grammar, spelling and vocabulary conventions.

Uploaded by

sarah Dayoha
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NAME

Angelou Abordo Signar

Raquel Santos

Sara Jean D. Plantar

English at the time of Shakespeare

Who is William Shakespeare?

● An English poet, playwright and actor.


● was born on April 26, 1564 at Stratford-upon-Avon
● often called England’s national poet and nicknamed the Bard of Avon
● His father was a successful local businessman and his mother was the daughter of a landowner.
● he married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18
● Had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith.
● He is thought to have spent most of his time in London writing and performing in his plays.
● Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613.
● He died on 23 April 1616, at the age of 52.

⮚ At the time that Shakespeare wrote his plays, the English language was constantly changing and
absorbing new words, often as a result of exploration and war. Nouns were turned into verbs,
verbs were changed into adjectives, prefixes and suffixes were added to alter the meaning of a
particular word. Influence on the English language Shakespeare’s writings greatly influenced the
entire English language. He expanded the scope of English literature by introducing new words
and phrases, experimenting with blank verse, and also introducing new poetic and grammatical
structures.

⮚ Shakespeare’s language had a great influence on the further development of the English
language. Without Shakespeare, many vocabularies wouldn’t exist. He was a creative inventor of
new words and often used existing words in new ways. By using fashionable words that were
even new in the 16th century, Shakespeare implemented certain words in the English language.

⮚ Language use changes because of technology, invasion by foreign armies, immigration, and the
influence of culture. Language is highly dynamic. All it takes for a new word to be formed is for
one person to say it and another person to repeat it in the same context. This is how the word
“selfie” emerged – first in a forum and then repeated elsewhere online – and now it is
universally known as a photograph taken of yourself by yourself.

⮚ Shakespeare himself was something of a creator of language. You would be shocked at how
many of our most commonly used phrases were first coined by Shakespeare. As an example, if
you have ever found yourself “in a pickle” you can thank him for helping you describe your
predicament. If your friends tell you a joke and you found yourself “in stitches” or you have
ever told a knock, knock joke well, you will be speaking Shakespeare. If you have waited “with
bated breath” or you have “a heart of gold” or have been on “a wild goose chase” – you can
thank the big guy for helping you explain what is going on in your world!

⮚ The English language was not standardized prior to Shakespeare's time. He was writing at a time
when early modern English was less than a century old and most documents were still written in
Latin. There was no dictionary, no established grammar texts, and no systematic study of English
in schools. The English syntax rules were erratic, and the English vocabulary was limited. The
future of the young language was in jeopardy. Shakespeare's works also contributed significantly
to the standardization of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary.

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