The personal pronouns are ich, i in ibie 4, ibiðenche 6, idude 2, ilade 5, ime 6, ine 16, 225, me, we, us, þu, þe, ȝie, eow. The pronoun of the third person is s. n. he m. 21, hie 114, ?hi 38, hit neut. 13; d. him m. 20, 21, 44; a. hine m. 110, 116, 385, him 34, him f. 129 (masc. form), hes 219, 241, his 263, hies 243, hes 40 (= he + es), 55, 56, hit neut. 17; pl. n. hie 22 &c., hi 382, he 248 (5), d. hem 62, 167, 180, 239 &c., a. hem 184, 305, hes 102, 186, 288, 314, mes 259 (= me + es). Reflexives are us self 310, him 21, 124, him selfen s. 14, 107, 115, him selfe 25, him self 111; definitives, þe self 29, him self 40, 114, 186, self 131, 218, 379, pl. hemself 229; possessives, mi 2, mine pron. 304, þi 29, his 30 &c., hire 31, ure 57, pron. 251, here 101. The definite article is sing. n. se m. 287, þe 39 &c., þa 349, þe f. 116, 205, þet 68 (neut. form), d. þan m. 63, 96, þe 83, 158, te in ate 92, þare f. 346, 347, 397, þe 83, 237, (a)te 127, ðer neut. 216 (fem. form), a. þane m. 341, 343, 353, þene 343, þe f. 265, þat neut. 51; pl. n. þe 103, d. þo 291, 340, 354, a. þo 278, þe 192, 278. The article is also frequently used as pronoun antecedent to relatives, as þe þe, he who 25, 66, se þe 53, 55, se þit 112 (= se þe hit), þan þe, to him who 71, þo þe, those who 213, 234, þar þat, of those who 192, þo þe, to those who 229, those to whom 267, 275, those who and those to whom 256, wið þo þe, with those whom 220. Other pronominal uses are of þare, of that other 328 (representing neut. noun), þar fore, for it 146, after þan(e) þe, conj., according as 362, þo, those 171. The compound demonstrative is þis s. g. f. 271, þesses 338 (masc. form), þesse s. d. neut. 328, 383, þos pl. n. 351, 352, ?þes 103, þese pl. d. 312, þos pl. a. 234, 303, 314; relatives þe 33, 73, in combinations þis 156, 251 (= þe is), þit 112, 141 (= þe hit): þe often means he who 14, 21, 30, se 221; þe, they who 257, þat, that which 22 &c., þe, to whom 296, of which 10. Interrogatives are hwo 135, hwat 78, 103, 137, hwan d. after prep. 95, 206, 330, to hwan, why 105, hweðer 240, hwilch 138 with correlative swilch 79, 399; ilca is ilke 216: indefinites, hwo se 114; me 48, 63, 342; sume pl. 149, 361; fele 9, 70, 212; feawe 349, 354; eiðer 62, 239, aiðer 306; oðer s. g. 30, 261, 267, 363, s. d. 116, 188, 360, s. a. 149, þoðre pl. 168 (= þe oðre), oðer 390; elch s. n. m. 107, 173, eche 344, ech 23, elch s. n. f. 360, aches s. g. f. 226, neut. 371, eche s. d. m. 86, achen 350, ache s. d. f. 235, elche s. a. m. 132, f. 89; ani s. n. m. 68, d. f. 273, a. neut. 53; mani n. s. m. 38, s. g. m. 36; afric s. n. m. 32, africh 65, afri 117; al s. n. m. 198, neut. 7, alle s. d. neut. 307, 340, pl. n. m. 22 &c., f. 78, alre g. 163, 189, 355, alle d. 318, 389, a. m. 224, a. f. 84, 89, a. neut. 84.

The infinitives are equally divided between -en, including isien 18, 379, 385, and -e: exceptions are fulendin 247, warnin 230, 232. Those of the second weak conjugation have -ien, -ie, wunien 153, 181, 249, samie 165, wunie 214, 376. A dat. inf. with inflection is to isiene 392, uninflected are to bete 134, to bihelden 392, to falle 316, to habben 39, te læte 345, te stonde 316, to swenche 254, to swinde 57, to þenchen 256, for to haben 53, for . . . to fulle 352, for lesen 182, 184. Presents s. 1. adrade 6, bidde 136; 3. barneð 253, bihoteð 38, exceptionally biswicað 14, mislicað 13, haued 70, 340, singed 311, contracted forms, three-sevenths of the total number, abit 130, abuið 146, bet 126, 166, bit 126, 357, itit 125, last 169, lat 129, lat 342, sent 42, wit 84 and others; pl. 1. abugeð 197, brekeð 91, findeð 332, wilnieð 319, but ileued 176, þenche we 192; 3. fareð 236, folȝeð 346, but habbed 141, 177: subjunctive s. 2. wende 86; 3. bringe 397, cume 156, ȝieue 56 (4), ȝeue 317, helpe 158, hopie 31, rade 158, reche 135, sende 27, silde 224, 303, warnie 304, wurðe 142; pl. 1. late 307, 341, luue 309, silde 308, ute 337, werie 339, all followed by we, haben 100, wurðen 334; 3. wende 400: imperative s. 2. wende 86; pl. 2. understondeð 231. Past of Strong Verbs: I a. s. 3. sat 266, iseih 265; pl. 1. iseien 98, 99, 102; subjunctive s. 3. iseie 118: I b. s. 3. brac 185, cam 117 (4), nam 209; pl. 1. come 330; 3. binomen 263, comen 206, halen 161, stalen 162, come 141: I c. s. 3. swanc 362, unbond 190; pl. 3. bigunnen 247, gunne 276, swunken 258; subj. s. 3. bigunne 218, funde 68: III. pl. 3. luȝen 161: IV. s. 3. sop 84: V. pl. 3. biheten 246, hielden 172, 298, leten 270, 352, sewen 22, lete 264. Participles present: I c. barnende 222: V. wallinde 222; past: I a. biȝiete 105, forȝieten 98, ispeken 9: I b. bistolen 17, forholen 76, iborene pl. 105: I c. iboreȝe 167, ifunde 179, sprunge 175, unforȝolden 59: II. iwrite 117, write 228: II, III. unwrien 162: III. biloken 81, icorene pl. 104, forlorene 106: IV. forsworene 103: V. biualle 198. Past of Weak Verbs: s. 1. hadde 15, sade 157; 3. bohte 186, kedde 193 (cȳðde), likede 13, sade 131, taihte 272; pl. 1. ladden 93, luueden 93; 3. arerde 172, hudden 162, ilaste 246, iquemde 273, leide 263, saden 227, sunegeden 262; subj. s. 3. hadde 139, 149 (= hadde he); pl. 1. swunke we 321. Participles past: alesed 136, ibet 100, 134, bicherd, bikeihte 322, idemd 106, demde 274, ofdrad 43, 288, ofdradde pl. 94, ispend 12, teald 120, wuned 57. Minor Groups: witen inf. 386, wot pr. s. 78, 89, 111, not 148 (= ne wot), witen pr. pl. 294, niten 240 (= ne witen), iwiste 1 pt. s. 17, wiste pt. pl. 141, nesten pt. pl. 229, 388 (= ne wisten); oh pr. s. 2; cunnen inf. 336, can 1 pr. s. 306, pr. s. 71, cunnen pr. pl. 305, cunne pr. pl. subj. 217, cuðe 1 pt. s. 9; þarf pr. s. 43, 45, 165; sal pr. s. 21, 26, sullen 1 pr. pl. 163, sulen 58, sulle we 92, sullen pr. pl. 103, sulle 22, 106, solde pt. s. 37, 267, solden 1 pt. pl. 47, 60, solde 51, solden pt. pl. 269; mai 1 pr. s. 16, miht 2 pr. s. 129, mai pr. s. 35, 44, maiȝ 88, 124, 217, muȝen 1 pr. pl. 159, 210, 332, pr. pl. 241, 288, 374, muȝe 207, pr. s. subj. 23, 55, 125, 338, muȝe we 1 pr. pl. subj. 325, mihte 1 pt. s. 15, 226, pt. s. 202, 1 pt. pl. 52; mot pr. s. 33, moten 1 pr. pl. subj. 317, 400; ben inf. 39 (12), bien 389, to be 2, am 1 pr. s. 1, is pr. s. 7, 72, nis 76, 79, beð 23, 32, 114, 1 pr. pl. 19, pr. pl. 75, 94, 237, bieð 291, 315, bed 104, 381, senden 290, bie 1 pr. s. subj. 4, 136, pr. s. subj. 29, 77, be 32, 251, bien pr. pl. subj. 80, ben 28, was 1 pt. s. 1, pt. s. 189, 212, waren 1 pt. pl. 100, 333, pt. pl. 102, naren 383, ware pt. s. subj. 155, nare 201, 1 pl. 322, iben pp. 3; wille 1 pr. s. 227, wulle 157, nelle 291, wile pr. s. 39, 55, nele 336, willeð pr. pl. 34, 97, 230, nelleð 374, wolde 1 pt. s. 16, pt. s. 35, nolde 140, 187, 265, wolde ȝie 2 pt. pl. 49, wolden pt. pl. 248, 270, nolden 247, nolde 242; don inf. 37, 69, 270, to done inf. dat. 37, to don 19, deð pr. s. 21, 221, doð 35 (8), 1 pr. pl. 60, pr. pl. 61, 78, do pr. s. subj. 8, 20, 23, 214, 1 pr. pl. subj. 308, dude 1 pt. s. 2, duden 1 pt. pl. 96, misduden 101, deden pt. pl. 269, 270, misduden 194, idon pp. 7, ido 304, fordon 274; forgoð pr. s. 358, goð pr. pl. 351, go we 1 pr. pl. subj. 343, 353.

[Dialect:] L is a copy of a Southern original made by a Midland scribe of the Southern border. His alterations, casual and inconsistent, affect mainly the sounds; the inflections are on the whole Southern, but the extensive retention of inflectional n is due to the scribe: the pronoun ha 215 and the infinitives warni 226, wernin 228 are Mercian features of the Katherine Group. T is South-Eastern bordering on Kent, with some trace of Midland influence, such as the exclusive representation of æ by a, the development of æ + g as ai, distinct from that of e + g as ei, the absence of breaking in ea before l + consonant, the past participles without prefix, the infinitives in -in, features which point to the northern border of the South-Eastern area as its place of origin. In phonology it closely resembles Vices and Virtues. The dialect of e is Middle South: its rhymes are mostly correct, and it is probably the best representative of the original. MS. E is assigned by Jordan to the same area, but nearer its northern border.

[Vocabulary:] The foreign element in these texts is small. French are bikehte bikeihte (first appearance), cunin kuning, ermine (f. a.), martres 50/362 (f. a.), sabeline (f. a.), serueden, werre: sōt is pre-Conquest French, soht 30/30, written for sŏtt, a pre-Conquest Latin borrowing: Sathanas with th is French. Scandinavian are bene, efninges eueningges (influenced by efen), ille, laȝe loȝe, lofte, niþinges, þralles þrelles, wrange wronge, and possibly fruden frute, lan 32/64: baþe boþe in a Southern text may descend from OE. bā þā (Björkman, 108).

[Metre:] The Septenarius is a purely syllabic metre of seven feet, with or without end-rhyme, fashioned on the model of such mediaeval Latin verse as the well-known méum | ést pro|pósit|úm || ín ta|bérna | móri; the first section of the line having four stresses with a masculine and the second three with a feminine ending. The trochaic rhythm of the verse is very often changed into iambic by the addition of a syllable as prelude before either half of the verse: the full scheme is accordingly (x)x́xx́xx́xx́ || (x)x́xx́xx́x̀. This is perfectly exemplified in the Ormulum with its invariable line of fifteen syllables, but in the PM, the earliest known attempt at the metre in English, the influence of the native prosody is strong, and a regular line like Þe Món | þe wúl|e sík|er bón || to háb|ben Gód|es blíssè L 39 is uncommon. The following scansions of L illustrate the deviations from the norm of the verse:

ich ém | nu áld|er þénẹ | ich wés || awín|tre ént | a láre

Ich wél|de má|re þénẹ | ich déde || mi wít | áhte | bon máre

Wel lóngẹ | ich háb|be chíld | ibón || a wórd|e ént | a déde

þáh ich | bó a | wíntre | áld || to ȝúng | ich ém | on réde

5 v́nnet | líf ich | hábbẹ i|léd || ⁊ ȝét | me þíngþ | iléde