What aspect did the Great Vowel Shift primarily affect in Early Modern English?

• A. It altered consonants.
• B. It had no effect on spelling-pronunciation.
• C. It altered long vowels.
• D. It changed word order.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that the Great Vowel Shift is about changes to vowel sounds, especially the long ones, in Early Modern English. Over several centuries, the long vowels were raised and often became more diphthongal, so how words sounded changed a lot while the way they were spelled stayed largely the same. This is why Modern English pronunciation doesn’t line up neatly with the spelling of many familiar words. Consonants and word order didn’t undergo the same kind of coordinated shift, so they aren’t what this change is describing.