An Introduction to the Grammar of English: Syntactic Arguments and Socio-historical Backgrounds

This Introduction provides a lively and clearly written textbook. It introduces basic concepts of grammar in a format which inspires the reader to use linguistic arguments. The style of the book is engaging and examples from poetry, jokes, and puns illustrate grammatical concepts.The focus is on syntactic analysis and evidence. However, special topic sections contribute sociolinguistic and historical reasons behind prescriptive rules such as the bans on split infinitives, dangling participles, and preposition stranding.The book is structured for a semester-long course. It provides exercises, keys to those exercises, and sample exams. It also includes a comprehensive glossary and suggestions for further reading. This Textbook Introduces Basic Concepts Of Grammar In A Format Which Should Encourage Readers To Use Linguistic Arguments. It Focuses On Syntactic Analysis And Evidence. It Also Looks At Sociolinguisic And Historical Reasons Behind Prescriptive Rules. 1. Introduction : Examples Of Linguistic Knowledge ; How Do We Know So Much? ; Examples Of Social Or Non-linguistic Knowledge -- 2. Categories : Lexical Categories ; Grammatical Categories ; Pronouns ; What New Words And Loanwords Tell Us -- 3. Phrases : The Phrase ; Phrases In The Sentence ; Coordination Of Phrases ; Finding Phrases ; Building Trees -- 4. Functions In The Sentence : The Different Functions And How They Are Realized ; Verbs And Functions ; Trees ; Light Verbs (optional) -- 5. More Functions, Of Prepositions And Particles : Adverbials ; Prepositional Verbs ; Phrasal Verbs ; Phrasal Prepositional Verbs (optional) ; Objects And Adverbials -- 6. The Structure Of The Verb Group In The Vp : Auxiliary Verbs ; The Order Of Auxiliaries And Affix Hop ; Finiteness -- 7. Finite Clauses: Embedded And Coordinated : Sentences And Clauses ; The Functions Of Clauses ; The Structure: S' (pronounced: S-bar) ; Coordinate Sentences ; Terminological Labyrinth -- 8. Non-finite Clauses : Non-finite Clauses ; The Functions Of Non-finites ; The Structure: S'? ; Coordinating Non-finites -- 9. The Structure Of The Np, Adjp, Advp, And Pp : The Structure And Function Of Adjp, Advp, And Pp ; The Structure Of The Np And Functions Inside It ; Arguments For Distinguishing Complements From Modifiers -- 10. Clauses As Parts Of Nps And Adjps : Nps And Adjps As Compared To Pps And Advps ; Nps: Modifier (relative) And Complement Clauses ; More On Rcs ; Adjp's: Complement Clauses -- 11. Special Sentences : Questions/interrogatives; Exclamations ; Topicalization, Passive, Cleft, And Pseudo-cleft. Elly Van Gelderen. Includes Glossary Of Terms. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [195]-200). This Introduction provides a lively and clearly written textbook. It introduces basic concepts of grammar in a format which should inspire the reader to use linguistic arguments. The book uses examples from poetry, jokes, and puns to illustrate grammatical concepts. The focus is on syntactic analysis and evidence. However, special topic sections contribute sociolinguistic and historical reasons behind prescriptive rules such as the bans on split infinitives, dangling participles, and preposition stranding. The book is structured for a semester-long course. It provides exercises, keys to those exercises, and sample exams. It also includes a comprehensive glossary and suggestions for further reading