Development of Syntax in Middle English and Early New English

1. The Simple Sentence.

2. Predicative Constructions. Word Order. Negation.
3. Compound and Complex Sentences.

1. The simple Sentence

The evolution of English syntax was tied up with profound changes in morphology. The
decline of the inflectional system was accompanied by the growth of the functional load of
syntactic means of word connection. The most obvious difference between OE syntax and the
syntax of the ME and NE periods is that the word order became more strict and the use of
prepositions more extensive. The structure of the sentence and the word phrase, on the one hand,
became more complicated, on the other hand – were stabilised and standardised.
In the course of history the simple sentence in many respects became more orderly and
more uniform. Yet, at the same time it grew complicated as the sentence came to include more
extended and complex parts: longer attributive groups, diverse subjects and predicates and
numerous predicative constructions (syntactic complexes). In OE the ties between the words in
the sentence were shown mainly by means of government and agreement, with the help of
numerous inflections. In ME and Early NE, with most of the inflections endings levelled and
dropped, the relations between the parts of the sentence were shown by their relative position,
environment, semantic ties, prepositions, and by a more rigid syntactic structure.
Every place in the sentence came to be associated with a certain syntactic function. In the
new structure of the sentence syntactic functions were determined by position, and no position
could remain vacant. This is evidenced by the obligatory use of the subject. In OE the formal
subject, expressed by the pronoun hit, was used only in some types of impersonal sentences,
namely those indicating weather phenomena. In ME the subject it occurs in all types of
impersonal sentences.
For it reynyd almoste euey othir day. (Brut) – For it rained almost every other day.
Of his falshede it dulleth me to ryme. (Chaucer) – Of his falsehood it annoys me to speak.
As compared with OE the subject of the sentence became more varied in meaning, as
well as in the forms of expression. Due to the growth of new verb forms the subject could now
denote not only the agent or a thing characterised by a certain property, but also the recipient of
an action or the “passive” subject of a state and feeling. The predicate had likewise become more
varied in form and meaning. The simple predicate could be expressed by compound forms which
indicated multiple new meanings and subtle semantic distinctions, lacking in OE verb forms or
expressed formerly by contextual means. ME witnessed a remarkable growth of link-verbs:
about 80 verbs occur as copulas in texts between the 15 th and 18th c. In a way the new link-verbs
made up for the loss of some OE prefixes and compound verbs which denoted the growth of a
quality or the transition into a state.
And tho it drewe nere Cristenesse. (Brute) And though it drew near Christmas –
Christmas was coming
As me best thinketh (Chaucer) as it seems best to me
The structure of the predicative became more complex. It could include various
prepositional phrases and diverse attributes.
That’s a deep story of a deep love;
For he was more than over shoes in love (Shakespeare)
 2. Predicative Constructions. Word Order. Negation
Predicative Constructions. One of the most important developments of Late ME and
Early NE syntax was the growth of predicative constructions. The Accusative with the Infinitive
and the Accusative with the Participle which date from the OE period, came to be used with an
increasing number of verbs of various meanings. New types of predicative constructions
appeared in Late ME and Early NE texts: the Nominative with the Infinitive and with Participle
I, II (also known as Subjective Predicative constructions), the Nominative Absolute construction
and the Absolute construction with prepositions and the For-phrase with the Infinitive and the
Gerundial construction.
He was reported to be a very uncontended person (Complex subject)
The descriptions whereof were too long for mee to write, and you to read. (for-phrase
with the Infinitive)
Predicative constructions have developed from different sources: from verb patterns with
direct and prepositional objects followed by an infinitive or a participle, nouns patterns with
participles used as attributes, verbal nouns modified by possessive pronouns or nouns, elliptical
infinitive sentences.
Word order. In ME and Early NE the order of words in the sentence underwent
noticeable changes. It became fixed and direct: S – P – O, or subject plus notional part of the
predicate (mainly in questions). The fixation of the word order proceeded together with
reduction and loss of inflectional endings, the two developments being intertwined, though
syntactic changes were less intensive and less rapid. In the 17 th and 18th c. the order of words in
the sentence was generally determined by the same rules as operate in English today. The fixed,
direct word order prevailed in statements, unless inversion was required for communicative
purpose or for emphasis. The order of the Subject and Predicate remained direct in sentences
beginning with an adverbial modifier: then the two bears will not bite one another when they
meet. In OE an initial adverbial modifier required an inverted word order – P + S.
Negation. One of the peculiar features of the OE sentence was multiple negation. The use
of several negative particles and forms continued throughout the ME period: Ne bryng nat every
man into thyn hous (Chaucer) – Don’t bring every man into your house – ne is a negative
particle used with verbs, nat – another negative particle. Gradually double negation went out of
use. In the age of Correctness (18 th c.) when the scholars tried to improve and perfect the
language, multiple negation was banned as illogical. It was believed that one negation eliminated
the other like two minuses in mathematics and the resulting meaning would be affirmative.

3. Compound and Complex Sentences

The growth of the written forms of English, and the advance of literary in Late ME and
Early NE manifested itself in the further development of the compound and complex sentences.
Differentiation between the two types became more evident, the use of connectives – more
precise. The diversity of sentence structure in Late ME and Early NE reveals considerable
freedom in the nature and use of clauses. The flexibility of sentence patterns and the variable use
of connectives were subjected to new constraints and regulations in the period of Normalization.
Many new conjunctions and other connective words appeared during the ME
period: both… and, a coordinating conjunction, was made up of a borrowed Scandinavian dual
adjective bath and the native and. Because, a subordinating conjunction, was a hybrid consisting
of the native English preposition and a borrowed Latin noun cause (by + cause = for the reason).
Numerous connectives developed from adverbs and pronouns – who, what, which, where,
whose, how, why. These connectives sometimes occurred in combination with that (like when
that), which probably served to show that the former pronouns and adverbs were employed in a
new, connective function.
An adverbial clause of cause joined with the help of by way of reason and by cause that:
Than seys they ther-in swich difficultee
By way of resoun, for to speke al playn,
By cause that ther was swich diversitee
Bitwene her bothe lawes… (Then they saw there such difficulty in it for the reason, to
speak plainly, because there was so much difference between their two laws)
The structure of the sentence was further perfected in the 18 th and 19th c. From the 15th to
th
18 c. the number of coordinating connectives was almost doubled. Most conspicuous was the
frequent use of and, a conjunction of almost general meaning. Other conjunctions widened their
meanings and new connectives arose from various sources to express the subtle semantic
relationships between clauses and sentences: in consequence, in fact, to conclude, either… nor.
In the Age of Correctness the employment of connectives, as well as the structure of the
sentence, was subjected to logical regulation in the writings of the best stylists: J. Dryden, S.
Johnson, R. Steel, J. Addison, J. Swift. D. Defoe. Their style combined a clear order with ease
and flexibility of expression, which manifested itself in the choice of words, grammatical forms
and syntactic patterns.