ABSTRACT
The Act of Union (1707) created the United Kingdom and can, coincidentally, pretty much serve as the starting point of the Modern English (ModE) period. The UK as it was initially created was still “unfinished” inasmuch as Ireland was still to be added by the second Act of Union, effective from 1801 on. Another hundred plus years later Ireland left the United Kingdom to become the Irish Free State (1922) within the framework of the British Commonwealth, and then in 1949 the Republic of Ireland was created outside of the Commonwealth. Both are now members of the European Union. For more on politicalsocial change see link: Political change.
