1. Middle English period great change Middle English Verbal System

French borrowings

It stands to reason that the Norman Conquest and the subsequent history left deep traces in the English language, mainly in the form of borrowings in words connected with such spheres of social and political activity where French-speaking Normans had occupied for a long time all places of importance. For example:

• 
  Government and legislature:
  

government, noble, baron, prince, duke, court, justice, judge, crime, prison, condemn, sentence, parliament, etc.

• 
  military life:
  

army, battle, peace, banner, victory, general, colonel, lieutenant, major, etc.

• 
  religion:
  

religion, sermon, prey, saint, charity, etc.

• 
  city crafts:
  

painter, tailor, carpenter, etc. (but country occupations remained English: shepherd, smith, etc.)

• 
  pleasure and entertainment:
  

music, art, feast, pleasure, leisure, supper, dinner, pork, beef, mutton, etc. (but the corresponding names of domestic animals remained English: pig, cow, sheep)

• 
  words of everyday life:
  

air, place, river, large, age, boil, branch, brush, catch, change, chain, chair, table, choice, cry, cost, etc.

• 
  relationship:
  

aunt, uncle, nephew, cousin.
The place of the French borrowings within the English language was different:
1.A word may be borrowed from the French language to denote notions unknown to the English up to the time:
Government, parliament, general, colonel, etc.
2.The English synonym is ousted by the French borrowing:

English French
micel large
here army
ēa river
3.Both the words are preserved, but they are stylistically different:
English French
to begin to commence
to work to labour
to leave to abandon
life existence
look regard
ship vessel
As we see, the French borrowings are generally more literary or even bookish, the English word – a common one; but sometimes the English word is more literary. Compare:
Foe (native, English) – enemy (French borrowing)
Sometimes the English language borrowed many words with the same word-building affix. The meaning of the affix in this case became clear to the English-speaking people, and they began to add it to the English words, thus forming word-hybrids. For instance: the suffix –ment entered the language within such words as “government”, “parliament”, “agreement”, but later there appeared such English-French hybrids, such as fulfillment, amazement
The suffix –ance/-ence, which was an element of such borrowed words as “innocence”, “ignorance”, “repentance”, now also forms words-hybrids, such as hindrance
A similar thing: French borrowings “admirable”, “tolerable”, “reasonable”, but also: