Early Modern English

KEYTERMS	1. A set of key terms useful for the study of early modern English.
HOW DO YOU "DO"?	2. A lesson with exercises on the verb "to do." After reviewing the various uses of "do," complete a diagnostic (ungraded) quiz.
THE GREAT VOWEL SHIFT	3. The Great Vowel Shift is one of the most important sound changes in the history of the English language. The multi-media review on these pages will help you learn it.
MINOR VOWELS	4. Download this PDF with information and exercises on some of the minor vowel changes after the Middle English period.
NERDING OUT THR-OUGH THE AGES	5. Have you ever wondered how -ough pronunciation in English got so weird? ("I thought he had a rough cough, though.") These lessons will help you track how the different pronunciations developed. Be sure to check out George Starbuck's poem, too.
RHYMING PAIRS	6. This exercise asks you to explore some of Jonathan Swift's 18th-century rhyme words. Make sure to bring this completed exercise to your next section.
PRONOUN VARIATION	7. How did they say "you" in Early Modern English? This exercise considers the various meaning of thou, thee, ye, and you.
HIS-GENITIVE	8. Why do we call Chaucer's tale the "Wife-of-Bath's Tale" instead of the "Wife's Tale of Bath"? This lesson will help you learn about the difficulties the old genitive constructions could create.
TRANSCRIPTION	9. Download and print this PDF of the Tower of Babel story from the King James Bible. Complete the exercises on the second page, and take them to your next section. Remember reading this passage in Old and Middle English? See all four versions here.
EARLY MODERN MUSIC	10. Listen to a recording of an early modern song in period pronunciation. You can read along with the lyrics in the player, and print out a facsimile of an early published version of the lyrics.