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John Dryden

Tim Hankins helps maintain All Saints Church in Aldwincle, England. Poet John Dryden was born in Aldwincle and baptized in the church.

English might not have become quite so popular, if a 17th-century poet had his way

Arts, Culture & Media

Back in the 17th century, there was a move to create rules for English, based on Latin. The man behind it, poet John Dryden, thought that Shakespeare and others had turned English into an unruly mess. Dryden failed to establish an English “academy” to impose rules. And that failure may have helped make English the worldwide language it is today.

Tim Hankins helps maintain All Saints Church in Aldwincle, England. Poet John Dryden was born in Aldwincle and baptized in the church.

English might not have become quite so popular, if a 17th-century poet had his way

Arts, Culture & Media
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