Inclusion

Name: Class: No.: Date:

English everywhere
Inclusion worksheet
reading The evolution of English
A Read the following text carefully:

Where did English come from?

English belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. It is, therefore, related to most of the languages
spoken in an area stretching 1. . The language most closely resembling Modern English is
Frisian, which is spoken in the Dutch province of Friesland. Icelandic, on the other hand, has changed little
in more than 1,000 years. It is the living language most closely resembling Old English.

5 Forging the English language into its present form was dependent on the bringing together of several early
linguistic traditions over many centuries, dating from pre-Roman times in the British Isles. To this process
was added a measure of standardisation at a much later date.

The language of the ancient Britons was Celtic, and it survives in Modern Welsh, which is still the language
of Wales. When the Romans conquered England, they introduced a number of Latin words. 2. ,
10 the conquest lost impact, and Latin had to be reintroduced when the islands were converted to Christianity
in the 6th and 7th centuries.

The periods of development of the English language are called Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), Middle
English, and Modern English. Old English was spoken from about AD 449 to 1100. The first invasion by the
Jutes, Angles, and Saxons from the area of northern Germany and southern Denmark occurred in 449. Old
15 English was very inflected: it had a complicated system of grammatical changes to indicate case, number,
person, and tense. Because of the settlement patterns of the invading tribes, four Old English dialects
developed: Northumbrian, Mercian, West Saxon, and Kentish.

3. brought in Norman French and eventually placed the four Old English dialects on an even
footing. The centre of culture gradually shifted to London, and usages there slowly came to dominate.
20 Latin persisted for centuries as the language of the church and of learning.

Middle English lasted from about 1100 to 1450 and was less highly inflected than its predecessor. During
this period the Statute of Pleadings (1362) made English instead of French the official language of
Parliament and the courts.

After the dawn of the 16th century the movement toward the development of Modern English prose was swift.
25 It was aided by the printing of certain literary works 4. . In 1525, William Tyndale published his
translation of the New Testament. The next 90 years were the golden age of English literature, culminating
in the plays of Shakespeare and in the publication of the King James Version of the Bible in 1611.
www.kids.britannica.com
(adapted and abridged)

think up, 12.º ano – English everywhere

 Inclusion

B Four parts of sentences have been removed from the text. Choose the one (a-d) which fits
each gap (1-4).

a. The Norman Conquest of 1066

b. that helped standardise the language
c. from Iceland across Europe to India
d. After the Romans withdrew

C Say if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. Frisian resembles Icelandic, which is very different from Old English.

2. Icelandic hasn’t changed much in over 1000 years.
3. English was standardised in the British Isles in pre-Roman times.
4. Celtic is still spoken in Wales.
5. Old English was not an easy language.
6. Each of the invading tribes spoke its own dialect.
7. Middle English was just as inflected as Old English.
8. The development of Modern English started in the early 16th century.

D What do the words in bold refer back to? Choose the correct option.

1. It (line 1) a. English b. Indo-European family

2. this (line 6) a. standardisation b. the bringing together of several early linguistic traditions
3. they (line 9) a. the Romans b. the Welsh
4. its (line 21) a. Middle English b. 1100 to 1450
5. It (line 25) a. the 16th century b. the movement toward the development of Modern English

E Match the words in the first column (1-6) with their meanings in the second column (a-f).

1. forging (paragraph 2) a. under equal conditions and opportunities

2. a measure of (paragraph 2) b. shaping
3. on an even footing (paragraph 5) c. helped
4. shifted (paragraph 5) d. an amount of something
5. swift (paragraph 7) e. quick, fast
6. aided (paragraph 7) f. moved

F Complete the sentences.

1. was the language used in the Church and for learning.

2. After , English was spoken in Parliament and the courts.
3. The golden age of English literature lasted years.
4. During this period, wrote many plays.
5. translated the New Testament of the Bible.

think up, 12.º ano – English everywhere