The finest and fullest guide to the peculiarities of Elizabethan syntax, grammar, and prosody, this volume addresses every idiomatic usage found in Shakespeare's works (with additional references to the works of Jonson, Bacon, and others). Its informative introduction, which compares Shakespearian and modern usage, is followed by sections on grammar (classified according to parts of speech) and prosody (focusing on pronunciation). The book concludes with an examination of the uses of metaphor and simile and a selection of notes and questions suitable for classroom use. Each of more than 500 classifications is illustrated with quotes, all of which are fully indexed. Unabridged republication of the classic 1870 edition.