He was particularly prolific, as David Crystal points out, when it came to attaching un- prefixes to existing words to make new words that no one had thought of before – unmask, unhand, unlock, untie, unveil and no fewer than 309 others in a similar vein. Consider how helplessly prolix the alternatives to any of these terms are and you appreciate how much punch Shakespeare gave English.
According to Bill Bryson, Shakespeare was incredibly inventive, especially in his ability to create new words by adding the prefix "un-" to existing terms. He coined a remarkable number of words, including unmask, unlock, and unveil, among many others, showcasing his creativity and linguistic skill. This innovation is a testament to his command over the English language.
David Crystal highlights that these newly formed expressions carry a concise and impactful quality that other phrases lack, emphasizing how Shakespeare enriched English vocabulary. The alternatives to his words often seem excessively verbose, illustrating the punch and clarity that Shakespeare brought to the language during his time.
