[Loch-Ruadh] Speaking Forsoothly - Daily Lesson 19

[Pádraig Ruad Ó Maolagáin]

Daily Lesson 19

The normal order of your sentences should you vary.

In reading the King James Bible or the works of Shakespeare and his
contemporaries, one thing that stands out even more than the unfamiliar
words is the structure of the sentences.  “Backwards his sentences do go”,
as my college English literature professor put it.  In modern English, we
have been taught to put the subject (who/what is being referred to) at the
beginning of the sentence, followed by the predicate (what is happening):

	“I went to Crown Tournament last Saturday.”

To state this more forsoothly, but using a similar sentence structure, you
might say:

	“I did travel to Crown Tournament upon Saturday last.”

But other sentence structures work, and are just as valid, and can give a
distinct flavor to your forsooth speaking:

	“Upon Saturday last, did I travel to Crown Tournament.”
	“Upon Saturday last, to Crown Tournament I did travel.”
	“To Crown Tournament upon Saturday last did I travel.”

Another example:

	He gave his love a single, perfect rose.
	To his love gaveth he a single, perfect rose.
	A single, perfect rose gaveth he to his love.
	Gave he a single perfect rose to his love.

Shakespearian Word/Phrase of the Day:
	As thou list – “if you like” or “whatever you want”
	“To the gardens we may walk, or tarry here a while, as thou list.”

Padraig
-- 
Nunc est bibendum.
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Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.