By 1500 Europe was changing dramatically. With the Renaissance had come a new
interest in learning, science, and the classics. Because of
the Reformation, people were thinking differently about religion. Nations were
expanding their trade areas and competing in the New World.
To keep pace with these changes, the English language changed too. The invention of the printing press helped to stabilize the structure of English. Its grammar changed little after this time. But its vocabulary grew by leaps and bounds. The English borrowed words from other languages and made up new words from Greek and Latin parts. "Imitate," "critical," "modest," "emphasis," and "reliance" all date from this period. In all, more than 10,000 words entered the language between 1500 and 1650.
This was the time of Shakespeare's plays, the King James translation of the Bible, and other English speech of great beauty and richness. The English took great pride in their national language. For this reason this period is sometimes called the Golden Age of English.