Which figure is traditionally credited with inventing around 2000 words that raised the status of English internationally?

• A. Geoffrey Chaucer
• B. William Shakespeare
• C. Samuel Johnson
• D. John Dryden

Answer: (B)

William Shakespeare is traditionally credited with coining around 2000 words, a feat that massively broadened English vocabulary and helped elevate its international status as a language of high literature. He didn’t simply use existing words; he innovated through word-formation, blending and bending parts of speech, and turning nouns into verbs or adjectives into nouns in fresh, memorable ways. This inventive use of language gave English the flexibility and expressive power to convey complex ideas on a grand stage, which audiences around the world came to admire.

Geoffrey Chaucer laid important groundwork by establishing English as a serious literary language earlier on, showing it could carry long, sophisticated works. Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary later standardized spelling and usage, boosting prestige via codification. John Dryden contributed to the development of English literary style during the Restoration. But the specific association with creating a large number of new words that raised English’s global standing is most closely linked with Shakespeare.