A new edition of a successful undergraduate textbook on contemporary international Standard English grammar, based on Huddleston and Pullum's earlier award-winning work, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002). The analyses defended there are outlined here more briefly, in an engagingly accessible and informal style. Errors of the older tradition of English grammar are noted and corrected, and the excesses of prescriptive usage manuals are firmly rebutted in specially highlighted notes that explain what older authorities have called 'incorrect' and show why those authorities are mistaken. Intended for students in colleges or universities who have little or no background in grammar or linguistics, this teaching resource contains numerous exercises and online resources suitable for any course on the structure of English in either linguistics or English departments. A thoroughly modern undergraduate textbook, rewritten in an easy-to-read conversational style with a minimum of technical and theoretical terminology.

A new edition of a successful undergraduate textbook on contemporary international Standard English grammar, based on Huddleston and Pullum's earlier award-winning work, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002). The analyses defended there are outlined here more briefly, in an engagingly accessible and informal style. Errors of the older tradition of English grammar are noted and corrected, and the excesses of prescriptive usage manuals are firmly rebutted in specially highlighted notes that explain what older authorities have called 'incorrect' and show why those authorities are mistaken. Intended for students in colleges or universities who have little or no background in grammar or linguistics, this teaching resource contains numerous exercises and online resources suitable for any course on the structure of English in either linguistics or English departments. A thoroughly modern undergraduate textbook, rewritten in an easy-to-read conversational style with a minimum of technical and theoretical terminology.

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language is the first comprehensive descriptive grammar of English to appear for over fifteen years, a period which has seen immense developments in linguistic theory at all levels. The principal authors, Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey Pullum, are among the world's leading scholars in this area, and they have benefited from the expertise of an international team of distinguished contributors in preparing what will be the definitive grammar for decades to come. Each chapter comprises core definitions, detailed analyses, notes explaining alternative interpretations of difficult or controversial points, and brief notes on usage and history. Numerous cross-references and an exhaustive index ensure ease of access to information. An introductory section offers guidance as to how best to use the book is provided. Rodney Huddleston was until recently Professor in the Linguistics section of the Department of English at the University of Queensland, Australia, and has been publishing important books and papers on English grammar for thirty years. Geoffrey K. Pullum is Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is the author of 200 articles and books on English grammar and a variety of other topics in theoretical and applied linguistics.

This elementary textbook provides a succinct step-by-step account of all the most important and central English construction and categories. Rodney Huddleston's earlier work,An Introduction to the Grammar of English, was praised by reviewers for its clarity, and that is a particular strength of this new textbook as well. The book draws on descriptive and theoretical advances made in modern linguistics, but any significant departures from traditional grammar are pointed out. An important feature of the book is that it explains the major grammatical categories at both a language-particular level (specifically for English) and a general level, so that it could be used as a concise reference work for English by students taking courses in language typology.

Written for students without knowledge of linguistics and unfamiliar with "traditional" grammar, this text concentrates on providing a much needed foundation in Standard English in preparation for more advanced work in theoretical linguistics.