A Student's Introduction to English Grammar

'Many people, not least in my profession of journalism, profess to love the English language while showing scant sign of really understanding its grammar.A Student's Introduction to English Grammar will be a revelation to them and all other interested general readers, as well as college students. It is amasterly and definitive treatment of the structure of modern Standard English, written with analytical rigour but always in an accessible style. Among the most informative and pleasurable aspects of the book is its explanation of where traditional treatments of the subject go wrong. In place of such hoary misconceptions such as that a noun is the 'name of a thing', or that an adjective is a 'describing word', Professors Huddleston, Pullum and Reynolds explain that grammar is an empirical subject that rests on evidence. Their book conveys the excitement of intellectual discovery, and will inoculate readers against many stubborn but mistaken popular notions about 'correct grammar'. As a professional writer, I strongly recommend it.' Oliver Kamm, leader writer and columnist for The Times of London

'This superb textbook distils the knowledge of three distinguished linguists who understand the nuances of the English sentence as well as anyone ever has. True, it gets technical. So don't try to read it in one weekend. Pace yourself and read it, say, over the course of two months. Soon you'll be regaling your friends with accounts of subject extraposition, pseudo-clefts and bare existentials. If you're not then the life of the party, then you're attending the wrong parties.' Bryan A. Garner, Chief Editor, Black's Law Dictionary

'Students often experience grammar phobia and fear the ire of purists. The authors have gone a long way to allaying these concerns in their accessible, yet authoritative, treatment of English grammar. I appreciated their position that Standard English is a dialect - and its prestige an historical accident - and their Usage Controversy Notes, which dispel many false usage claims. I only wish that such a book had been available when I was a student!' Diane Larsen-Freeman, University of Michigan

'This second edition continues the illuminating and comprehensive presentation of English grammar that we have come to expect. Students and instructors alike will benefit from the contemporary, non-formal approach of the text and the relevance and intelligibility of real examples and exercises. This is undoubtedly an essential text for all students of the English language who require a strong grounding in the discipline.' Sam D'Elia, University of Kent

'In their second edition of A Student's Introduction to English Grammar, Huddleston, Pullum and Reynolds remove the need to feel intimidated by grammatical analysis. Written in a conversational style and suited to students from a range of backgrounds, this textbook provides a clear and approachable introduction to the structure of English. An invaluable addition to ...

Rodney Huddleston was educated at Cambridge and Edinburgh, and taught English language at the University of Queensland for the majority of his career before beginning a decade of full-time work leading the team that produced The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL) in 2002. Geoffrey K. Pullum, a co-author of CGEL, was educated at York, Cambridge, and London, and has taught linguistics at University College London, the University of California, and the University of Edinburgh. Brett Reynolds is a professor at Humber College, Toronto, specializing in academic English and the teaching of English as a second language.

Preface for the student; Preface for the instructor; 1. Introduction; 2. Overview of the book; 3. Verbs and verb phrases; 4. Complements in clauses; 5. Nouns and determinatives; 6. Adjectives and adverbs; 7. Prepositions and particles; 8. Adjuncts: modifiers and supplements; 9. Negation; 10. Clause type; 11. Subordinate clauses; 12. Relative constructions; 13. Comparatives and superlatives; 14. Non-finite clauses; 15. Coordinations; 16. Information structure; Index.