Old English ‘impersonal’ constructions can be divided into three types, i.e. (i) the real impersonal denoting natural phenomena (e.g. hit rineþ), (ii) the quasi-impersonal (which I call ‘impersonal’ with inverted commas) with a personal (pro)nominal in the oblique case, frequently accompanied by a noun clause and an opptional cooccurrence of hit (e.g. him licaþ,(hit) him gelimpþ (þæt)), and (iii) the ‘personal’ construction with a nominative of thing, often accompanied by a personal (pro)nominal in the oblique case (e.g. hwæt þyncþ þe, niht is geworden). Type (ii) and a part of type (iii), where a personal (pro)nominals appear in the oblique case, show a synchronic and stylistic contrast with or experience a diachronic transition from ‘impersonal’ to personal construction (e.g. him licaþ with he licaþ, hwæt þyncþ þe to what do you think). Gelimpan, which I give as an example of type (ii), can be used without him, like (hit) gelamp, and is superseded by it befell and then by it happened. Many verbs of motion show this kind and the niht is geworden type of constructions. The same verb may take type (iii) as well, like hit aeode and him aeode. Here I classify the examples, therefore, into those with a dative of person and those without it.

Without Dative of Person

‘Impersonal’ uses are found with various verbs of motion, denoting ‘it happens’, ‘it becomes’, ‘it goes’, ‘it occurs’, etc. Often it is an impersonal construction without a dative of person, with frequent cooccurence of hit.