1500 to the Present: The Modern English Period

Distinctions are commonly drawn between the Early Modern Period (1500-1800) and Late Modern English (1800 to the present).

During the period of Modern English, British exploration, colonization, and overseas trade hastened the acquisition of loanwords from countless other languages and fostered the development of new varieties of English (World English), each with its own nuances of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Since the middle of the 20th century, the expansion of North American business and media around the world has led to the emergence of Global English as a lingua franca.

Early 16th century The first English settlements are made in North America. William Tyndale's English translation of the Bible is published. Many Greek and Latin borrowings enter English.

1542 In his Fyrst Boke of the Introduction of Knowledge, Andrew Boorde illustrates regional dialects.

1549 The first version of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England is published.

1553 Thomas Wilson publishes The Art of Rhetorique, one of the first works on logic and rhetoric in English.

1577 Henry Peacham publishes The Garden of Eloquence, a treatise on rhetoric.

1586 The first grammar of English--William Bullokar's Pamphlet for Grammar--is published.

1588 Elizabeth I begins her 45-year reign as queen of England. The British defeat the Spanish Armada, boosting national pride and enhancing the legend of Queen Elizabeth.

1589The Art of English Poesie (attributed to George Puttenham) is published.

1590-1611 William Shakespeare writes his Sonnets and the majority of his plays.

1600 The East India Company is chartered to promote trade with Asia, eventually leading to the establishment of the British Raj in India.

1603 Queen Elizabeth dies and James I (James VI of Scotland) accedes to the throne.

1604 Robert Cawdrey's Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published. (See The Earliest English Dictionaries.)

1607 The first permanent English settlement in America is established at Jamestown, Virginia.

1611 The Authorized Version of the English Bible (the "King James" Bible) is published, greatly influencing the development of the written language.

1619 The first African slaves in North America arrive in Virginia.

1622Weekly News, the first English newspaper, is published in London.

1623 The First Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays is published.

1642 Civil War breaks out in England after King Charles I attempts to arrest his parliamentary critics. The war leads to the execution of Charles I, the dissolution of parliament, and the replacement of the English monarchy with a Protectorate (1653–59) under Oliver Cromwell's rule.

1660 The monarchy is restored; Charles II is proclaimed king.

1662 The Royal Society of London appoints a committee to consider ways of "improving" English as a language of science.

1666 The Great Fire of London destroys most of the City of London inside the old Roman City Wall.

1667 John Milton publishes his epic poem Paradise Lost.

1670 The Hudson's Bay Company is chartered for promoting trade and settlement in Canada.

1688 Aphra Behn, the first woman novelist in England, publishes Oroonoko, or the History of the Royal Slave.

1697 In his Essay Upon Projects, Daniel Defoe calls for the creation of an Academy of 36 "gentlemen" to dictate English usage.

1702The Daily Courant, the first regular daily newspaper in English, is published in London.

1707 The Act of Union unites the Parliaments of England and Scotland, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

1709 The first Copyright Act is enacted in England.

1712 Anglo-Irish satirist and cleric Jonathan Swift proposes the creation of an English Academy to regulate English usage and "ascertain" the language.

1719 Daniel Defoe publishes Robinson Crusoe, considered by some to be the first modern English novel.

1721 Nathaniel Bailey publishes his Universal Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, a pioneer study in English lexicography: the first to feature current usage, etymology, syllabification, clarifying quotations, illustrations, and indications of pronunciation.

1715 Elisabeth Elstob publishes the first grammar of Old English.

1755Samuel Johnson publishes his two-volume Dictionary of the English Language.

1760-1795 This period marks the rise of the English grammarians (Joseph Priestly, Robert Lowth, James Buchanan, John Ash, Thomas Sheridan, George Campbell, William Ward, and Lindley Murray), whose rule books, primarily based on prescriptive notions of grammar, become increasingly popular. See What Is Grammar?

1762 Robert Lowth publishes his Short Introduction to English Grammar.

1776 The Declaration of Independence is signed, and the American War of Independence begins, leading to the creation of the United States of America, the first country outside the British Isles with English as its principal language.

1776 George Campbell publishes The Philosophy of Rhetoric.

1783Noah Webster publishes his American Spelling Book.

1785The Daily Universal Register (renamed The Times in 1788) begins publication in London.

1788 The English first settle in Australia, near present-day Sydney.

1789 Noah Webster publishes Dissertations on the English Language, which advocates an American standard of usage.

1791The Observer, the oldest national Sunday newspaper in Britain, begins publication.

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