A FUNCTIONAL STUDY OF THE VERB "TO BE" AND GRAMMATICAL FEATURES OF VERBS IN EARLY MODERN ENGLISH

The development of the English language's grammatical system was significantly influenced by the Early Modern English era. During this time, the language's morphological structure became noticeably simpler, with fewer inflectional endings and a greater emphasis on syntactic methods. The standardization of the English language was additionally significantly helped by an upsurge of the literary language, the introduction of printing presses, and the extensive distribution of scientific and religious writings. This study's primary goal is to analyse the grammatical and functional properties of verbs in Early Modern English, with a focus on the use of the verb "to be" and its function in passive formations. Throughout the study, the employment of verb forms is analysed using examples from religious literature, and the morphological and syntactic characteristics of Early Modern English are investigated using a historical-linguistic method. In this sense, the study aims to clarify how the verb system evolved during English's historical evolution and to ascertain how the Early Modern era contributed to the creation of Modern English.英语语法体系的发展在很大程度上受到早期现代英语（Early Modern English）时期的影响。在此期间，该语言的形态结构显著简化，屈折词尾数量减少，且更侧重句法手段的运用。此外，文学语言的兴盛、印刷术的普及以及科学与宗教著作的广泛传播，也极大推动了英语语言的标准化进程。本研究的核心目标是分析早期现代英语中动词的语法与功能特征，重点探讨系动词"to be"的使用及其在被动结构中的作用。本研究全程以宗教文献作为语料实例分析动词形式的使用情况，并采用历史语言学方法探究早期现代英语的形态与句法特征。就此而言，本研究旨在阐明英语历史演进中动词体系的演变路径，并明确早期现代英语时期对现代英语形成所起到的推动作用。