Exercise 2.

Identify the Grammatical categories of the ME parts of speech at the end

of the ME period. Put '+' where the Grammatical category is represented or mark as 1-A,
2-B.., 3-C…
Parts of speech/ Noun Adjective Pronoun Numeral Verb
Grammatical 1 2 3 4 5
Categories

Person A +

Number B + +(remained some + +

number
distinctions)

Case C + + (Dative and

accusative
cases fused into
one, objective
case)

Gender D

Declension E +

Degrees of F +
comparison

Tense G +

Time H
correlation

Aspect I

Voice J +

Mood K +

Exercise 3. Differentiate between historical and analogical endings of the following ME

nouns:
1. ME walles (OE weal, -a-, m wall) OE -as analogical
2. ME apostoles (OE apostol,-a-, m apostle) OE -as analogical
3. ME lambres (OE lamb, -es-, n lamb) OE -ru historical
4. ME clothes (OE clāð, -a-, m clothes) OE -as analogical
5. ME bookes (OE bōc, root, f book) OE bec historical
6. ME bones (OE bān, -a-, m bone) OE -as analogical
7. ME deedes (OE dæd, -i-, f deed) OE -e/a historical

Exercise 4. Differentiate between historical and analogical endings of the following ME

verbs:
1. ME (thou) makest (OE -ast) analogical
2. ME (he) liketh (OE -að) analogical
3. ME (who) hath (OE hafaþ) historical
4. ME (they) doth (OE dōþ) analogical
5. ME (ye) mosten (OE -að) historical (The ending –n goes back to the weak declension of
nouns)
6. ME (we) been (OE beoþ) historical (The ending –n goes back to the weak declension of
nouns)
7. ME (he) carrieth (OE að) analogical

Exercise 5. Identify the analytical forms in the sentences given below. State whether they
are Perfect, Passive, Continuous tense-forms, the forms of the Future tense or the
Subjunctive Mood.
1. Cast up his eyen to the brighte sunne
That in the signe of Taurus had y-runne.
perfect tense-form
2. And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.
future tense-form
3. With lokkes crulle as they were leyd in presse.
passive tense-form
4. He chuketh whan he hath a corn y-founde.
perfect tense form
5. ... singynge he was or floytinge, al the day.
continuous tense-form
6. ...she wolde wepe if that she saw a mous caught in a trappe
subjunctive mood
7. The heighe masse was y-doon 650 merchant's tale.
perfect tense-form