Early modern English grammar rules

The best way to begin this activity is to recite a typical wedding vow, using the familiar "thee" and "thou":

"I, Martin take thee, Jane, as my lawful wife."

"I, Jane, take thee, Martin, as my lawful husband." Then give students a brief analysis of the 2nd Person Familiar Pronouns used in Shakespeare's plays. You could write the following examples on the board:

Singular Pronouns Thou - Subject: "Thou art my brother."

Thee - Object: "Come, let me clutch thee."

Thy - Possessive Adjective: "What is thy name?"

Thine - Possessive Noun: "To thine own self be true."

Plural Pronoun Ye - Subject: "Ye shall know me."

Students who know French or Spanish can explain the tu form in that language and when it is appropriate to use it-close friends, family, children, animals, and inanimate objects. They can now take out their silent conversations and modify them using the 2nd person familiar pronouns:

Verb Inflection Elizabethan language, though considered Early Modern English, still retained some verb inflections. Usually they simply add an -est or -st to a word. These were used often with the 2nd person familiar pronouns:

"Thou liest, malignant thing."

"What didst thou see?"

"Why canst thou not see the difference?"

1. Basic rule of thumb:

-st for second person singular, -th for third person singular

I speak, thou speakest, he/she speaketh, we speak, ye speak, they speak

"To be" and "to have" are, of cousre, irregular: I am, thou art, he/she is, we are, ye are, they are I have, thou hast, he/she hath, we have, ye have, they have

I'm not entirely sure about the past tense...

I spake, thou spakest, he/she spake (or spaketh?), we spake, ye spake, they spake

2. #5Irregulars

[Irregulars

"To be" and "to have" are, of cousre, irregular: I am, thou art, he/she is, we are, ye are, they are I have, thou hast, he/she hath, we have, ye have, they have