Overview

Answering key questions such as 'Why study grammar?' and 'What is standard English?', Introducing English Grammar guides readers through the practical analysis of the syntax of English sentences. With all special terms carefully explained as they are introduced, the book is written for readers with no previous experience of grammatical analysis. It is ideal for all those beginning their study of linguistics, English language or speech pathology, as well as students with primarily literary interests who need to cover the basics of linguistic analysis. The approach taken is in line with current research in grammar, a particular advantage for students who may go on to study syntax in more depth. All the examples and exercises use real language taken from newspaper articles, non-standard dialects and include excerpts from studies of patients with language difficulties. Students are encouraged to think about the terminology as a tool kit for studying language and to test what can and cannot be described using these tools. This new edition has been fully revised in line with recent research. There is a new chapter on World English, a new glossary and a free website with extensive further reading and answers to the exercises, which can be found at www.routledge.com/cw/borjars

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9781444109870

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Reviews

The engagingly informal style of this excellent book brings the study of English grammar alive. I particularly admire the way in which grammatical points are copiously exemplified by quotations from real language in everyday use. The text is so well structured and so clearly written that, although it would undoubtedly be a valuable adjunct to a course of lectures, it could also be used by learners studying the subject on their own. -- Professor Katharine Perera (about the first edition) One of the few [books] able to cover a lot of ground without being too generally shallow... It is written in a clear, accessible, and reader-orientated style with just the right amount of wit to make it entertaining... the examples taken from daily speech are interesting... this is a very useful, clear, accessible and interesting textbook for first-year students of English and / or linguistics... Students dealing with English on the basis of this book will not have the feeling that it is not worth the paper it is printed on; instead they will see that doing grammar can be fun. -- The Linguist List (about the first edition)

Praise for the first edition The engagingly informal style of this excellent book brings the study of English grammar alive. I particularly admire the way in which grammatical points are copiously exemplified by quotations from real language in everyday use. The text is so well structured and so clearly written that, although it would undoubtedly be a valuable adjunct to a course of lectures, it could also be used by learners studying the subject on their own. Professor Katharine Perera One of the few [books] able to cover a lot of ground without being too generally shallow... It is written in a clear, accessible, and reader-orientated style with just the right amount of wit to make it entertaining... the examples taken from daily speech are interesting... this is a very useful, clear, accessible and interesting textbook for first-year students of English and / or linguistics... Students dealing with English on the basis of this book will not have the feeling that it is not worth the paper it is printed on; instead they will see that doing grammar can be fun. The Linguist List

Author Information

Kersti Börjars is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Manchester, UK. She is the author of Feature Distribution in Swedish Noun Phrases. Kate Burridge is Professor of Linguistics at Monash University, Australia. She is the author of Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language.

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