Review the use of modern English pronouns. They occur in the singular and the plural. They include three forms: the nominative, the objective and the possessive.
Pick up your pencil, and write down a simple English sentence containing one or more pronouns. “I believe you stand on my foot,” could be a very easy sentence to use. In this example, “I”, “you,” and “my” are the pronouns.
Familiarize yourself with basic Elizabethan pronoun rules that differ from modern English. They involve the first-person singular possessive, the addition of a second-person singular for informal addresses and, naturally, also the addition of a second-person plural for informal addresses.
Practice saying the Elizabethan form of the first person singular to sound like “I, me, my or mine." You would use “mine” instead of “my” if the next word begins with a vowel.
Work on the informal second-person singular (you), which in Elizabethan English reads “thou, thee, thy or thine" (before a vowel). The informal second-person plural reads “ye or your, ye or you, your or yours.”
Apply the new pronoun rules to the practice sentence. You would change it to, “I believe thou stand on my foot.” You would not use “mine” because foot starts with a consonant and not a vowel.
Write several practice sentences on your pad with a variety of different pronouns in the singular and plural. Practice saying them out loud as you are writing them down.
Review the conjugation of verbs in modern English. This involves the present, past and future tenses.
Memorize the corresponding Elizabethan English present tense verb forms. For example, in the present tense you would say, “I stand, you stand, thou standest, and he/she/it standeth." Note that in the second-person singular informal, you need to add the suffix of ~est or simply ~st. In the third-person singular, you would add ~eth or ~th.
Write down the practice sentence from Section 1, but apply this form of Elizabethan conjugation. The sentence would read: “I believe thou standest on my foot.”
Review the Elizabethan past-tense verb conjugation, which only changes for the informal second-person singular. Instead of saying “you ran,” you would say “thou didst run.” Notice the inclusion of the form of “to do,” which is then conjugated with the ~st suffix added.
Learn the future tense of the Elizabethan English. In all cases, you use will or shall, but in the second-person singular informal it would be “wilt” or “shalt.”
Practice writing several modern English sentences on your pad. Make sure they include several pronouns, as well as verbs. Now translate them into Elizabethan English following the conjugation and pronoun rules discussed.
Read these sentences out loud. You will quickly find that there is a very unique rhythm to this form of English.
Learn the different ways of pronouncing words in Elizabethan English. Since there are no actual sound recordings, use an online guide that describes the different elocution of vowels and consonants in early modern English.
Get to know Elizabethan slang, as well as some off-color words to ensure you do not use them. There are a good number of online resources that mention these words.
Practice writing and reading these phrases, and put them in sentences. Observe the verb conjugations and also the pronoun use!
Build your vocabulary and phraseology by reading Shakespeare. Anything will do, but the longer the text, the more practice you will have.
Plan on visiting a local renaissance fair, and once there, interact with the characters who address you in early modern English. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice what you have been working on, and it does not matter if initially it comes out wrong or sounds odd to your ears. The only way to improve is to speak and practice this beautiful form of English.