Adventures In English Syntax

An engaging introduction to English sentence structure, showing how users can apply this knowledge to become better readers and writers.

For a good orientation into the history of English grammar, several books are indispensable. One of those is Mustanoja’s A Middle English Syntax. However, for a long time this work was not readily available; the present edition changes that. This is a fac simile reprint from the 1960 publication which appeared as volume XXIII in ‘Mémoires de la Société Néophilologique de Helsinki’, with a new Introduction by Elly van Gelderen. Compared to Old English, Middle English has fewer grammars and textbooks devoted to it. This book provides an interesting supplement by going deeper into certain questions and, especially, into exceptions. The book points out differences with Old English and certain peculiarities of the Middle English system. It was originally written for students of Middle English literature but serves a linguist well in detailed descriptions of the parts of speech, the use of the various cases, gender, and number. Word order, complex sentences, and conjunctions were meant to be dealt with in a second volume, which was never published.

For the educated, this book is an invaluable resource, one that allows for easy reference to any grammatical concept imaginable. the book gives thousands of examples, but it also provides explicit reasoning why we should speak and write following certain patterns. Don't feel like studying for hours to learn a concept? Look here for the diagrams you need to understand why things go where they go in a sentence. Did he act foolish? OR Did he act foolishly? Both answers are here. If you are in college, grad school, or simply interested, you decide what you want to know-your answers are here. Written by two professors who hate to condescend but love to teach, English Grammar and Syntax cuts through the pedantic wasteland.

This is a pedogogical syntax for writers. It explains the most frequetly used structures in English, beginning with simple ones and moving on to extremely complex ones. For many years it has been used by students from junior high school to graduate school. It provides numerous examples and extensive exercises.

A systematic introduction to core topics in syntax, focusing on how the basic concepts apply in the analysis of sentences.

Introducing English Syntax provides a basic introduction to Syntax for students studying English as a foreign language at university. This book requires no previous knowledge of linguistics and is essential reading for international students studying English syntax for the first time.

This engaging textbook bridges the gap between traditional and functional grammar. Starting with a traditional approach, students will develop a firm grasp of traditional tools for analysis and learn how SFG (Systemic Functional Grammar) can be used to enrich the traditional formal approach. Using a problem-solving approach, readers explore how grammatical structures function in different contexts by using a wide variety of thought-provoking and motivating texts including advertisements, cartoons, phone calls and chatroom dialogue. Each chapter focuses on a real world issue or problem that can be investigated linguistically, such as "mis"-translation or problems arising from a communication disorder. By working on these problems, students will become equipped to understand and analyze formal and functional grammar in different genres and styles. With usable and accessible activities throughout, Exploring English Grammar is ideal for upper undergraduate and postgraduate students of English language and linguistics.