To be or not to be like Shakespeare - archaic English words
Steve Keating
Language changes over time. One example particularly relevant to German speakers is the use of “whom”. “Who” refers to the subject of a sentence and “whom” to the object. For example:
The person who is over there is tall.
The relative pronoun “who” refers to the word before it, “person”, which is the subject of the sentence.
An example with “whom”:
It is the manager whom we should blame.
Here, the relative pronoun also refers to the word before it, “manager”, but this time “manager” is the object of the sentence and “we” is the subject, so “whom” is correct.
However, in practice, “whom” is rarely used these days and many native speakers would say: It is the manager who we should blame. German speakers instinctively understand this difference well, as the difference between “who” and “whom” is linked to the difference between the nominative and the accusative.
There is an example when “whom” is still used. A typical heading for a job reference is: To Whom It May Concern. You would never say: To Who It May Concern.
Still, there are some somewhat archaic words which can add colour to your language, especially if you are talking to native speakers. As these words are rarely used, they may confuse non-native speakers. Here are some examples:
“Hitherto”, meaning “up to now”.
An example: My experience hitherto has been universally positive.
“Erstwhile”, meaning “at that time” (in the past).
Your erstwhile colleague has gone on to become CEO of her new company.
“Thus”, meaning “therefore”. “Thus” is more commonly used than the previous two examples.
An example: The weather is cold. Thus, we should wear a jacket.
A related usage is “thus far”, also meaning “up to now”.
For example: Thus far, we have not experienced any problems.
These words are by no means must-haves in English. However, they can be quite humorous and will lend a Shakespearean character to your discourse!
Why not discover more of these in a no-obligation trial lesson at nativespeakers.ch?
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In recent years it has become increasingly important to use gender-neutral language in most languages, and certainly this is the case with English. Grammatical and pronunciation errors can always be forgiven, but not using gender-neutral language is the quickest way to offend some listeners! Therefore, this is a worthwhile area to spend some time on.