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Quizzes > English & Grammar

English Trivia Questions: Test Your Language History Smarts

Quick, free quiz on English language trivia. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Ron CrabbUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art quiz illustration with open book quill pen alphabet and timeline icons on dark blue background

This quiz helps you test your knowledge of English language trivia and how the language evolved, from early roots to common phrases. Along the way, check out english language trivia questions for more practice, try an english language quiz to brush up, or dive into word origins trivia to see how terms took shape.

Which language family does English belong to?
Romance
Germanic
Celtic
Slavic
English is classified as a West Germanic language, sharing roots with German and Dutch. It developed from the dialects of the Anglo-Saxons in early medieval England.
What is the earliest form of English called?
Old English
Proto-English
Early Modern English
Middle English
Old English, used roughly from 450 - 1150 CE, was brought to Britain by Germanic tribes. It evolved significantly after the Norman Conquest.
Who authored the influential 1762 English grammar that shaped modern usage?
Robert Lowth
Lindley Murray
Noah Webster
Samuel Johnson
Robert Lowth's "A Short Introduction to English Grammar" (1762) became a standard reference for correct usage. It influenced later grammarians and school teaching.
Which invention by William Caxton in 1476 influenced English standardization?
Steam press
Printing press
Typewriter
Telegraph
William Caxton introduced the first printing press to England around 1476, producing books in the London dialect. This helped stabilize spelling and grammar.
William Shakespeare wrote in which stage of the English language?
Late Modern English
Middle English
Old English
Early Modern English
Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English (c. 1500 - 1700), which featured vocabulary expansions and the Great Vowel Shift. His works reflect evolving grammar and spelling conventions.
The Great Vowel Shift changed English pronunciation between which centuries?
18th and 20th centuries
15th and 18th centuries
10th and 12th centuries
12th and 14th centuries
The Great Vowel Shift (c. 1400 - 1700) systematically altered the pronunciation of long vowels in English. It marks a major boundary between Middle and Modern English.
Which regional dialect heavily influenced Standard English in the Middle Ages?
East Midlands
Kent
West Country
Northumbria
The East Midlands dialect, especially from around London, became the basis for Standard English after the 14th century. Its prestige grew with London's political and cultural importance.
After 1066, which language contributed many loanwords to English?
Norman French
Old Norse
Spanish
Arabic
The Norman Conquest introduced Norman French as the language of the ruling class in England, adding thousands of French words to English vocabulary.
What does the Old English word "cyning" mean in Modern English?
Counsel
King
Knight
Chieftain
"Cyning" is the Old English term for "king." It appears in many surviving texts, including law codes and poetry.
Which epic poem is the oldest surviving work in Old English?
Judith
The Wanderer
The Dream of the Rood
Beowulf
Beowulf is the earliest complete epic poem in Old English, composed between the 8th and 11th centuries. It survives in a single manuscript known as the Nowell Codex.
The English word "sugar" comes originally from which language?
Arabic
Greek
Latin
Spanish
"Sugar" entered English via Old French from Medieval Latin sucre, tracing back to Arabic ??? (sukkar). Trade with the Near East introduced the term.
Who led the first complete translation of the Bible into English in 1382?
John Wycliffe
King James I
William Tyndale
Miles Coverdale
John Wycliffe produced the first full English Bible translation in 1382, challenging church authority. His work was based on the Latin Vulgate.
Which Latin prefix in English means "before"?
Sub-
Post-
Pre-
Re-
The prefix "pre-" derives from Latin prae, meaning "before." It forms words like "preview" and "prehistoric."
What is the typical word order in Modern English sentences?
Subject - Verb - Object
Verb - Subject - Object
Verb - Object - Subject
Object - Subject - Verb
Modern English predominantly follows Subject - Verb - Object (SVO) order, e.g., "She (S) reads (V) books (O)." This pattern estabilished itself in Middle English.
Who compiled the first single-language English dictionary in 1604?
Noah Webster
Samuel Johnson
Richard Mulcaster
Robert Cawdrey
Robert Cawdrey's Table Alphabeticall (1604) was the first monolingual English dictionary, listing around 2,500 words. It aimed to help women and less-educated readers understand difficult words.
Which script was originally used to write Old English before the Latin alphabet predominated?
Hebrew
Runic
Cyrillic
Greek
Early Old English inscriptions used runic characters (futhorc), especially on stone and metal. The Latin alphabet gradually replaced runes after Christianization.
Middle English is generally dated from which centuries?
8th to 11th centuries
15th to 17th centuries
11th to late 15th centuries
17th to 19th centuries
Middle English spans roughly from the Norman Conquest (1066) to the late 15th century. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales exemplifies this period's language.
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in which dialect of Middle English?
West Saxon
Northumbrian
Kentish
East Midlands
Chaucer wrote in the East Midlands dialect, which later formed the basis of Standard English. His works reflect vocabulary from French and Latin.
Samuel Johnson's English Dictionary was first published in which year?
1755
1721
1789
1658
Samuel Johnson published "A Dictionary of the English Language" in 1755, defining over 40,000 entries. It remained authoritative for over a century.
What was the primary effect of the Great Vowel Shift?
It added new consonants
It standardized spelling
It changed the pronunciation of long vowels
It altered word order
The Great Vowel Shift systematically raised and diphthongized long vowels in English between the 15th - 18th centuries. It distinguishes Middle from Modern English pronunciation.
Which English word is a known borrowing from Old Norse?
Algorithm
Telegraph
Bicycle
Window
"Window" comes from Old Norse vindauga, meaning "wind eye." Norse settlers contributed many everyday English words.
What letter did English lose in pronunciation after Middle English, though it remained in spelling?
H (as in honest)
L (as in could)
G (as in gnome)
K (as in knight)
The initial /k/ sound in words like "knight" was lost by the Early Modern English period, though the spelling remained. This is an example of consonant cluster simplification.
Which grammarian published "English Grammar Adapted to the Different Classes of Learners" in 1823?
Otto Jespersen
Lindley Murray
Noah Webster
Henry Sweet
Lindley Murray's works were widely used in American and British schools. His grammar books guided learners for decades.
By which century had the pronoun "thou" largely fallen out of standard English usage?
17th century
14th century
19th century
15th century
"Thou" (singular informal you) declined in use by the 17th century, replaced by "you" for both singular and plural. Social shifts influenced polite address.
Which term refers to French-derived words in English after the Norman Conquest?
Anglicisms
Normanisms
Gallicisms
Romanisms
"Normanisms" denotes words borrowed from Norman French after 1066, such as "court" and "justice." These terms enriched English vocabulary.
Which prefix from Greek means "light"?
Tele-
Photo-
Mono-
Graph-
"Photo-" derives from Greek ph?s, meaning "light." It forms words like "photograph" and "photosynthesis."
In what century did the Renaissance bring a surge of Latin and Greek borrowings into English?
16th century
18th century
12th century
14th century
The 16th century Renaissance led scholars to import classical terms into English, enriching its vocabulary. Humanism and printing accelerated this process.
What was the original Old English word order before SVO became dominant?
VSO
OSV
SOV
VOS
Old English allowed more flexible word order, often using Subject - Object - Verb (SOV). Inflections marked grammatical roles rather than position.
Which publication in 1755 influenced later lexicographers including Webster?
Cawdrey's Table Alphabeticall
Oxford English Dictionary
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Webster's Blue-Backed Speller
Johnson's 1755 dictionary was a milestone, shaping lexicography worldwide. Noah Webster admired and critiqued it in his own work.
Which suffix means "the study of" in English, from Greek?
-logy
-scope
-phile
-meter
"-logy", from Greek logos ("study" or "word"), forms nouns like "biology" and "geology." It denotes academic fields.
What Proto-Germanic root underlies the English word "father"?
*broð?r
*pater
*fað?r
*mater
The Proto-Germanic *fað?r is the ancestor of English "father," related to German Vater and Dutch vader. It ultimately comes from Proto-Indo-European *ph?t?r.
Which English dialect is known for preserving rhotic 'r' into the modern era?
Cockney
West Country
Estuary English
Received Pronunciation
West Country accents remain strongly rhotic, pronouncing 'r' in all contexts. Most southern England dialects have become non-rhotic.
Which consonant cluster simplification led to the modern pronunciation of "knight"?
Loss of /n/
Loss of /t/
Loss of initial /k/
Loss of /gh/
By the 17th century, the silent initial 'k' in 'knight' was no longer pronounced, simplifying the cluster. The spelling however remained unchanged.
The pronouns "they/them" in English derive from which language?
Latin
French
Old Norse
Celtic
Middle English borrowed the third-person plural pronouns from Old Norse, replacing Old English 'h?e.' This happened around the 12th century.
In which year was Shakespeare's First Folio published?
1623
1632
1601
1616
The First Folio, containing 36 of Shakespeare's plays, was issued in 1623 by his colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell. It preserves many works otherwise lost.
Which 19th-century linguistic model influenced English grammar teaching in schools?
Transformational grammar
Descriptive grammar
Functional grammar
Prescriptive grammar
Prescriptive grammar, focusing on rules of 'correct' usage, dominated 19th-century education. It was based on Latin grammar ideals.
Which obsolete Old English letter was replaced by 'th' in Middle English?
Ash (æ)
Wynn (?)
Eth (ð)
Thorn (þ)
The letter thorn (þ) represented the /?/ sound in Old English and was replaced by 'th' in Middle English spelling reforms.
Which borrowings did the Norman Conquest introduce besides French vocabulary?
Cyrillic script
Chinese ideograms
Arabic numerals
Legal and administrative terms
After 1066, many French legal, military, and administrative terms entered English, such as 'court,' 'judge,' and 'army.' This reshaped technical vocabulary.
What linguistic phenomenon is displayed by words like "mouse" vs. "mice"?
Aggrandizement
Ablaut
Assimilation
Reduplication
Ablaut refers to vowel changes to mark grammatical contrast, as in "mouse/mice" and "sing/sang." It originates in Proto-Indo-European roots.
Which 19th-century author criticized prescriptive rules in "The King's English" (1906)?
H.W. Fowler
Noah Webster
Lindley Murray
Henry Sweet
Henry Watson Fowler's "The King's English" (1906) advised clarity and good usage but challenged rigid prescriptivism. It remains influential on style.
What feature distinguishes Received Pronunciation (RP)?
Non-rhoticity
Glottal stops
Heavy rhoticity
Use of click sounds
Received Pronunciation, associated with southern England, is non-rhotic, dropping 'r' unless before a vowel. It's a prestige accent.
Which linguistic term describes the study of word origins?
Morphology
Phonology
Etymology
Syntax
Etymology examines the history and origin of words, tracing their development through time and languages.
Which change marks the shift from Middle to Early Modern English?
Adoption of Cyrillic alphabet
Orthographic and pronunciation reforms
Introduction of ideograms
Loss of all inflections
The transition involved standardizing spelling, the Great Vowel Shift, and reduced inflections. Printing press use accelerated these reforms.
Which 18th-century work first criticized Johnson's lexicon for inconsistencies?
Oxford English Dictionary
Noah Webster's American Dictionary
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
A New English Dictionary
Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary addressed American usage and pointed out British inconsistencies. It shaped U.S. spelling conventions.
Which theory suggests that language change is driven by social factors rather than internal evolution?
Comparative method
Generative grammar
Sociolinguistic theory
Structuralism
Sociolinguistics studies how social factors like class, age, and group identity shape language change. It contrasts with purely internal linguistic evolution models.
What is the linguistic term for the phenomenon where English pronounces "colonel" as "kernel"?
Phonemic irregularity
Metathesis
Epenthesis
Lenition
"Colonel" retains spelling from French while pronunciation shifted to match Italian-derived 'coronel.' This irregularity is phonemic rather than systematic.
Which historical document is the earliest example of continuous Old English prose?
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Domesday Book
Beowulf manuscript
King Alfred's Preface to Gregory
King Alfred's Preface (c. 893) is among the earliest extended Old English prose, part of translations he commissioned.
What is the technical name for the shift of /?/ to /d?/ in words like "gin" vs. "give"?
Vocalization
Affrication
Lenition
Denasalization
Affrication describes the shift where a stop consonant becomes an affricate, as with /?/ > /d?/ in certain environments.
Which English historical period coined the term "inkhorn terms" for obscure borrowings?
Late Modern
Renaissance
Early Modern
Middle English
During the Renaissance, critics scorned overuse of Latin and Greek neologisms as "inkhorn terms." The debate influenced standardization.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand English Origins -

    Understand how English emerged from early Germanic dialects and distinguish true statements from common misconceptions, such as those posed in "english is a germanic language true false" questions.

  2. Analyze Linguistic Milestones -

    Analyze key events and influences - from Old English to Modern English - that shaped the evolution of the language.

  3. Engage with Trivia in English Language History -

    Utilize engaging trivia in english language trivia questions to reinforce your knowledge of historical shifts and cultural impacts on English.

  4. Assess Quiz Performance -

    Evaluate your proficiency by interpreting your responses to english language quiz questions and english language trivia questions, using your score to identify areas for improvement.

  5. Apply Historical Insights -

    Apply your understanding of English's evolution to modern contexts, recognizing how past changes inform today's usage and variations.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Germanic Roots of English -

    English is a Germanic language true false? True: Modern English descends from Proto-Germanic dialects brought to Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers around 450 AD (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Use the mnemonic GEMS (Germanic roots, Early migrations, Sound shifts) to anchor these origins for trivia in English language history.

  2. Old English and Runic Inscriptions -

    Old English (c. 450 - 1100 AD) was written in runes and Latin script, as seen in the epic opening "Hwæt! We Gardena" from Beowulf (Oxford University Press). Knowing common words like "cyning" (king) and "hlĝf" (loaf) boosts your confidence on english language quiz questions.

  3. Norman Conquest and Middle English -

    The 1066 Norman Invasion infused Old Norman French into English, creating Middle English (1100 - 1500 AD) with thousands of loanwords (Cambridge University Press). Compare "cow" (Germanic) vs. "beef" (French) to remember this dual-vocabulary phenomenon for english language trivia questions.

  4. Printing Press & the Great Vowel Shift -

    William Caxton's 1476 press standardized spelling, while the Great Vowel Shift (c. 1400 - 1700) altered long vowels: e.g., Middle English "bite" /bi˝tə/ became /baɪt/. Try the phrase "High Price" (/aɪ/ & /əɪ/) to recall two major shifted vowels when tackling trivia in English language evolution.

  5. Global Spread and Standardization -

    Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary (1884 - 1928) codified spelling and definitions during the British Empire's expansion (Oxford University). Remember "one world, one language" to link colonization with English's global dominance on english language quiz questions.

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