“Do what you love; you’ll be better at it. It sounds pretty simple,
but you’d be surprised how many people don’t get this one right away.”
- LL Cool J
Like Shakespeare, the Star Wars character Yoda sometimes plays around with word order. Both Shakespeare and Yoda change familiar speech patterns. Examples:
YODA SHAKESPEARE
Much to learn you have. The castle of Macduff I will surprise.
The Phantom Menace Macbeth
(Translation: You have much to learn.) (Translation: I will surprise the castle of Macduff.)
Strong am I in the Force. Rude am I in speech . . .
Return of the Jedi Othello
(Translation: I am strong in the Force.) (Translation: I am rude in speech)
Answer the following questions by unscrambling the word order in sentences from Shakespeare’s plays.
1. More needs she the divine than the physician. (Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 2)
The best modern translation of the sentence is:
a. She needs the divine more than she needs the physician.
b. The physician needs her more than the divine needs her.
c. She needs the physician more than the divine needs her.
2. Younger than she are happy mothers made. (Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 2)
The best modern translation of the sentence is:
a. Happy mothers are younger than she is.
b. Younger girls than she are happy mothers.
c. Mothers are made happier when they are younger than she is.
3. From that place I shall no leading need. (King Lear, Act 4, Scene 1)
The best modern translation of the sentence is:
a. That place does not need me to lead it.
b. I don’t need that place to lead me.
c. I won’t need anyone to lead me from that place.
4. At this same ancient feast of Capulet’s sups the fair Rosaline whom thou so loves. (Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 2)
The best modern translation of the sentence is:
a. Rosaline, the one you love, eats at the Capulet’s traditional feast.
b. At the Capulet’s traditional feast you will eat with Rosaline who loves you.
c. Rosaline will eat at the Capulet’s traditional feast you love.
5. Forget not in your speed, Antonius, to touch Calpurnia. (Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2)
The best modern translation of the sentence is:
a. Don’t forget to speed up, Antonius, so you can touch Calpurnia.
b. To touch Calpurnia, Antonius, don’t forget your speed.
c. Antonius, don’t forget to slow down so you can touch Calpurnia.
ANSWER KEY: YODA-SPEAK IN SHAKESPEARE QUIZ
1. A 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. C
GRAMMAR ANALYSIS OF YODA-SPEAK
In English the most common word order is subject-verb-object. Adjectives come before nouns (He is a tall man.). Adverbs come after verbs (She speaks softly.). Prepositional phrases typically follow the word they describe (The house on the corner is mine.). Yoda switches the word order like this:
STANDARD ENGLISH YODA
You are strong, Luke. Strong you are, Luke.
I go sadly into the mist. Into the mist sadly go I.
The future is always in motion. Always in motion the future is.
I can’t go there. Go there, I cannot.
Shakespeare’s plays are full of examples of syntax inversion:
Look I so pale, Dorset, as the rest? Richard III
Repays he my deep service with such contempt? Richard III
So foul and fair a day I have not seen. Macbeth
Round about the cauldron go. In the poisoned entrails throw. Macbeth
Weeds of Athens he doth wear. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Out of this wood do not desire to go. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Blind is his love and best befits the dark. Romeo and Juliet
Came he not home tonight? Romeo and Juliet
Vexed I am of late with passions of some difference. Julius Caesar
Knew you not Pompey? Julius Caesar
Syntax inversion is a literary device that pre-dates Shakespeare. Translations of Homer’s Iliad use it: “Proud is the spirit of Zeus-fostered kings.” Inversion is common in the King James Version of the Bible: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither.”
The Star Wars screenwriters use syntax inversion to characterize Yoda as an ancient Jedi Master. Inversion also makes Yoda’s lines stand out, reinforcing his superior wisdom and status.
The new Star Wars movie is a gift to English teachers. Easy Shakespeare is when Yoda-speak know you. Yoda’s speech patterns can help students overcome one of the biggest obstacles to understanding Shakespeare: the unfamiliar word order known as syntax inversion. Yoda, like Shakespeare, plays around with word order.
Why so strangely Yoda speaks? In English the most common word order is subject-verb-object. Adjectives come before nouns (He is a tall man.) Adverbs come after verbs (She speaks softly). Prepositional phrases typically follow the word they describe (He shops at Target. The house on the corner is mine) Yoda switches the word order like this:
STANDARD ENGLISH YODA
You are strong, Luke. Strong you are, Luke.
I go sadly into the mist. Into the mist sadly go I.
The future is always in motion. Always in motion the future is.
I can’t go there. Go there, I cannot.
Shakespeare’s sentences often sound like Yoda’s. Here are some examples:
YODA SHAKESPEARE
Much to learn you have. The castle of Macduff I will surprise.
The Phantom Menace Macbeth
Around the survivors, a perimeter Round about the cauldron go. In the
create. Attack of the Clones poisoned entrails throw. Macbeth
Strong am I in the Force. Rude am I in speech . . . Othello
Return of the Jedi
Agrees with you, the council does. Look I so pale, Dorset, as the rest?
The Phantom Menace Richard III
Need that, you do not. Repays he my deep service with such
The Phantom Menace contempt? Richard III
The shadow of greed, that is. Crowns in my purse I have . . .
Revenge of the Sith The Taming of the Shrew
The boy you trained, gone he is. A gallant knight he was.
Revenge of the Sith Henry IV Part 1
If into the security recordings you go, From that place I shall no leading
only pain you will find. need. King Lear
Revenge of the Sith
Syntax inversion is a literary device that pre-dates Shakespeare. Translations of Homer’s Iliad use it: “Proud is the spirit of Zeus-fostered kings.” Inversion is common in the King James Version of the Bible: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither.” The Star Wars screenwriters use syntax inversion to characterize Yoda as an ancient Jedi Master. Inversion also makes Yoda’s lines stand out from all the other characters’ lines, reinforcing his superior wisdom and status.
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens opens December 18, 2015.
Coming soon on grammardog.com . . . a free downloadable syntax inversion quiz that uses Yoda-like lines from Shakespeare.
May the Force be with you!
Let’s Marvin Gaye tonight (have sex)
We Hemingwayed all over Paris (bar-hopped)
Less Poe, more Disney, dude! (lighten up)
She went all Amy Schumer on me (told a dirty joke)
He went all Mel Gibson on me (anti-semetic)
He went all Trump on me (bragged a lot)
He’s my Yoda (wise advisor)
Her tweets are so Kardashian (shallow)
Her mom’s got this Sophia Vergara vibe (sexy)
Sherlock it for me (solve the mystery)
We’re used to brands becoming verbs (google, fedex, xerox, photoshop) but current everyday usage leans heavily on the names of celebrities whose names are associated with specific behavior.
Donald Trump has said, “Iran is taking over Iraq and they’re taking it over bigly.” “We are going to turn this country around. We are going to start winning bigly on trade.” “Obamacare will kick in bigly in 2016.” So is BIGLY a word? The answer is YES. Bigly is not used often by Americans, but it is a legitimate adverb form of the more familiar adjective big.
At first political pundits and late night comedians thought they had Trump in a Sarah Palin or George W. Bush grammatical error. Palin was taken to task for making up the word “refudiate.” Bush was famous for mispronouncing (nucular instead of nuclear) and for making up words such as “misunderestimate.” Maybe Trump plays scrabble and knew about bigly or maybe he is trying to cut down on his use of HUGE. Bigly is a word and Trump uses it correctly. Will it catch on? It just might. One of George W. Bush’s errors did. Bush famously said “the internets” instead of “the internet.” That caught on. I’m not sure anyone remembers “the internets” as a goof. If bigly catches on, we’ll know soon because the late night comedians will add it to Trump’s trademark word HUGE. Watch for it on October 3 when the new season of Saturday Night Live premieres. If Trump impersonations incorporate bigly, bigly could be HUGE.