LoginArchaic Pronouns
Explore the rules and nuances of archaic pronouns like 'thou', 'thee', and 'thyself'. Detailed explanations, advanced exercises, and a quiz.
What Are Archaic Pronouns?
When reading the Bible, works of Shakespeare, or other classical works, we come across a set of different pronouns, as well as verbs, and names which are used throughout the texts and sound new to us, but are actually old. Such old expressions are called 'archaic'. Here, we will specifically explore archaic pronouns.
Pronouns Change Over Time
Like all other words, personal pronouns - particularly second-person pronouns - have undergone changes over time. In addition to the standard, non-standard, and informal personal pronouns in English, there are also archaic pronouns that were used in the past but have mostly been replaced with the standard pronouns in modern usage.
Archaic Pronouns
The archaic personal pronouns of English are:
Thou
'Thou' is an archaic pronoun that means 'you.' It is used when talking to one person who is the subject of the verb.
Thou shalt not kill.
Verb Agreement
When 'thou' is the subject of the sentence, the verb takes the -st or -est suffix in the present tense. But as you can see in the example above, some verbs like "are," "shall," and "will" have irregular forms and take -t.
Thou lovest truth.
Thee
'Thee' is an archaic pronoun that also means 'you' and is used when talking to only one person, but it is different from 'thou' in that it is used when the person is the object of the verb. Take a look at the examples:
We beseech thee, O Lord.
With this ring, I thee wed.
Ye
'Ye' is an archaic pronoun that means 'you' and is used when talking to more than one person. 'Ye' is used as the subject of the sentence. For example:
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Thy
'Thy' is a word that means 'your' and is used when talking to only one person. 'Thy' is the possessive determiner form of 'you.'
Honor thy father and thy mother.
When the word that follows 'thy' starts with a vowel or the letter 'h,' 'thine' is used instead of 'thy.'
Thine eyes I love.
Thine
'Thine' is a word that means 'yours' (possessive form of you) and is used when talking to only one person.
His spirit will take courage from thine.
Thyself
'Thyself' is an archaic pronoun meaning 'yourself'. It is a reflexive pronoun and is used when talking to only one person.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
History: Formal or Informal (The Omnipresent You)
In Old English, like most other European languages, there were two different words for the second-person singular and plural; 'thou' as the singular and 'ye' as the plural form, i.e. 'thou' addressed one person, and 'ye' more than one.
The singular pronouns 'thou' and 'thee' indicated 'familiarity or intimacy.' Therefore, they were used among close friends and family. But when addressing a stranger or someone outside the friend circle, using 'thou' or 'thee' was considered impolite and condescending.
Gradually, 'thou' and 'thee' were replaced by 'ye' and 'you' as the polite form of address for an equal or a superior person.
Eventually, 'you' drove out 'thou,' 'thee,' and 'ye' and became the only second-person pronoun, used for singular and plural, as well as formal and informal. In some parts of England, however, people still use these archaic pronouns in everyday talk.
Review
Subject | Object | Reflexive | Possessive Pronoun | Possessive Determiner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singular Standard | you | you | yourself | yours | your |
Singular Archaic informal | thou | thee | thyself | thine | thy/thine (before vowel) |
Plural Standard | you | you | yourselves | yours | your |
Plural Archaic | ye | you | yourselves | yours | your |
Quiz:
Which archaic pronoun serves as the object form when addressing one person?
Thou
Thyself
Thee
Ye
Match each description from with the correct archaic pronoun.
Complete the sentence by filling in the blanks with the correct archaic pronouns. (One option is used twice.)
art my guide in times of trouble, and I trust
with all my heart.
wisdom is a beacon in the dark, and all trust
honor.
When darkness falls,
must seek light within
.
have gathered from all corners to celebrate this joyous occasion.
Which of the following sentences correctly uses archaic pronouns throughout?
Thou art courageous, and thou hast shown thyself to be noble.
Thou art courageous, and thee hast shown thy to be noble.
Thee art courageous, and thou hast shown thine to be noble.
Ye are courageous, and thou hast shown thyself to be noble.
Fill the blanks before each sentence with T for true and F for false.
The archaic pronoun "ye" was used as the object form in sentences.
"Thou" was used to address more than one person.
"Thine" was used before words starting with a vowel or 'h'.
"Thyself" was the archaic equivalent of "yourself."
"Thee" was the subject form of "thou."
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