What word should I use in this poetic phrase?

Cherylann Cormier-Towers @Cherylann Cormier-Towers

May 2021 4 14 Report

What word should I use in this poetic phrase?

I wrote this phrase: "Spin a web of naught but lies, and thine own self will you despise." for a tattoo I plan to get, and I am trying to figure out if instead of the word "you," would the word "thee," be more fitting in this particular phrase. I am also unsure if that is how the word naught is spelled in this sense. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Education & Reference / Words & Wordplay

Kristie

Verified answer

Thee is better, in my opinion. Naught can be spelled that way or Nought....either is correct. By the way, Thee is definitely better since you are already using Old English when saying Naught (or Nought) =) hope i helped.

Sian

naught means nothing. You could spell it nought, but both are correct.

Definitely change the 'you,' if you're keeping 'thine.' In centuries past when English speakers still had a singular/familiar 2nd person pronoun (thou, thee, thine), they would only use you, your for formal or plural 2nd person. They would not mix the two in the same sentence referencing the same person.

You would NOT USE "THEE" though, since thee is the objective form of the pronoun (like 'me' is the objective form of the subject pronoun "I"). You need to use THOU, which is the subject form of the pronoun.

The verb 'will' needs to change as well. The second clause should read, "and thine own self THOU WILT despise" unless you prefer "and your own self will you despise."