What does grow'st from Shakespeare's sonnet 18 mean in modern English?

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1053905

2026-04-03 07:35

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Shakespeare actually wrote in modern English, and the verb form you are asking about is, though now very rare, still in occasional use. Basically the story is this: if you see a familiar Word with "-st" on the end, you will probably find the pronoun "thou" lurking close by. "Thou" always takes verbs ending in -st; "thou thinkest" is the same as "you (singular) think". Shakespeare used them interchangeably. Note this passage from King Lear:

Have more than thou showest,

Speak less than thou knowest,

Lend less than thou owest,

Ride more than thou goest,

Equals show, know, owe, and go. "Growest" obviously is "grow"

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