Exploring English Grammar

Caroline Coffin is Reader in Applied Linguistics at the Open University, UK. Prior to joining the Open University she was a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.Jim Donohue is currently Head of OpenELT, the English Language Teaching Unit of the Open University. He has been involved in the teaching of English for specific purposes for 20 years. Sarah North is currently lecturer in applied language studies at the Open University, UK. She has been involved in English language teaching and teacher training in a number of countries, including Indonesia, Tanzania, China, India, Malaysia and Mexico.

'This is a book that has long been needed. Anybody involved in teaching Systemic Functional Linguistics will be immensely grateful to have a resource which handles the difficult transition from 'school grammar' to 'useful grammar' with such intelligence, thoroughness and flair. Anyone interested in exploring how language works, and in developing their skills of linguistic analysis, will find this book stimulating, supportive and thought-provoking.'Geoff Thompson, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, University of Liverpool, UK'This is the book we've been waiting for - a bridge between traditional grammar and the more functional approach to grammar which focuses on 'language as a resource for meaning'. Full of practical activities and written in an accessible manner, this book will become an indispensable reference for those interested in how language works.' Beverly Derewianka, Professor of Language Education, University of Wollongong, Australia 'Exploring English Grammar represents a bold and innovative attempt to present university level grammar from a functional perspective without losing sight of the formal conventions. ...by the end of the book, through the careful staging of the many activities provided, along with the worked answers, students should have built up a broad range of skills for describing and analysing texts in terms of the various levels of meaning that they make.'Dr Tom Bartlett, Centre for Language and Communication Research, Cardiff University, UK

• 1. From Formal to Functional Grammar 2. Talking about Procedures 3. Describing 4. Talking about the Past 5. Predicting and Hypothesising 6. From Communicative to Systemic Functional Grammar 7. Shaping a Text to Meet Social Purposes: Genre 8. Representing the World 9. Interacting and Taking a Position 10. Making a Text Flow