A Student's Introduction to English Grammar

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.

'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 a masterly 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