Shakespeare's language is one of the few under-researched fields in Shakespeare studies - and yet we all somehow "know" that Shakespeare was a genius with words. But what were the linguistic tools at his disposal in the late-16th century? Did the state of English at the time somehow favour the writing of great poetry? This is a reference guide to Early Modern English - the form of English used by Shakespeare - covering the rules, conventions, and possibilities of choice that make his texts so linguistically rich. Updating the previous standard work (E.A. Abbott's "A Shakespearian Grammar" of 1870), the book assumes no prior linguistic knowledge, and is designed to be used by students new to the study of Shakespeare and the grammar of English, as well as scholars and editors grappling with the finer detail of Shakespeare's texts. The grammatical terms are introduced in "Overview" sections, which demonstrate the literary potential of the linguistic features under examination. These are followed by more comprehensive discussions, which illustrate and illuminate many of the fascinating features of Shakespeare's language. Quotations are from the folio and quarto texts throughout and a detailed glossary is included.