1. Pronouns
One of the main criticisms of the AV is the use of thee, thou and so on. But, it must be realised that these words have a precision that is lost in modern English. The pronouns, for example, differentiates the singular from the plural, a distinction that is important when interpreting a passage. We can say therefore that far from being a drawback the use of these old pronouns is, in fact, a great benefit to those wanting to know the truth.
Below is a table of the pronouns, which it is hoped will prove useful.
Subjective (nominative) | Objective (accusative) | Possessive (genitive) | ||
Singular 1st person |
I | Me | My (Mine*) | |
Singular 2nd person |
Thou | Thee | Thy (Thine*) | |
Singular 3rd person |
He, she, it | Him, Her, It | His, Hers, Its | |
Plural 1st. person |
We | Us | Our(s) | |
Plural 2nd. person |
Ye, You | Thee, You | Your(s) | |
Plural 3rd. person |
They | Them | Theirs |
note: * My/mine were used in the same way as a/an is today, depending on whether the following word began with a vowel or not.
2. Verb endings
Regular endings | Some irregular verbs | ||
Singular 1st person |
same as infinitive | am | |
Singular 2nd person |
-est | art, hast, dost, shalt, wilt | |
Singular 3rd person |
-eth | is, hath, doth | |
Plural 1st person |
same as infinitive | are | |
Plural 2nd person |
same as infinitive | are | |
Plural 3rd person |
same as infinitive | are |