Understanding English Grammar: A Linguistic Introduction
Cambridge University Press, 12/9/2010
EAN 9780521757119, ISBN10: 0521757118
Paperback, 452 pages, 24.4 x 19 x 2.1 cm
Language: English
Language is primarily a tool for communication, yet many textbooks still treat English grammar as simply a set of rules and facts to be memorised by rote. This new textbook is made for students who are frustrated with this approach and would like instead to understand grammar and how it works. Why are there two future tenses in English? What are auxiliaries and why are they so confusing? Why are English motion verbs hard to use? Why are determiners so important in English? These and many other frequently asked questions are answered in this handy guide. Student learning is supported with numerous exercises, chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading. An accompanying website offers further resources, including additional classroom exercises and a chance to interact with the author. It is the essential grammar toolkit for students of English language and linguistics and future teachers of English as a Second Language.
Introduction
1. History
2. Typology
3. The lexicon
4. Morphology - the shapes of words
5. Participant reference
6. Actions, states and processes
7. Basic concepts in English syntax
8. Advanced concepts in English syntax
9. Complementation
10. Modification
11. Auxiliaries and the 'black hole' of English syntax
12. Time and reality
13. Voice and valence
14. Clause combining
15. Pragmatic grounding and pragmatically marked constructions.
Advance praise: 'A superb introduction to English syntax, its internal variation and typological background, combining rigorous argumentation with a functional approach.' Bernard Comrie, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and University of California, Santa Barbara