2. Norsemen who raided England during the Old English period contributed to the simplification of English grammar.
3. After the Battle of Hastings 1066, the English and the French languages began to blend in England.
4. Most of the modern English words for home and family come from the French.
5. Most of the modern English words for government and education come from the French.
6. The Norman Conquest led to a further simplification of English grammar.
7. English grammar is more complicated that that of either French or German.
8. Shakespeare contributed hundreds of new words to the English language.
9. The spelling of "knife" reflects the way it was pronounced in 1500.
10. The eighteenth century lexicographer Samuel Johnson single-handedly created a dictionary of the English language.
11. Modern English avoids borrowing words from other languages.
12. In ancient Rome it was a crime to split an infinitive.