An Introduction to the Grammar of English

“A very clearly expressed, very lucid and very successful introduction to English grammar. It introduces basic concepts of grammar in a format which can easily lead on to discussions of syntactic theory at a higher level, but which is at the same time a measured and self-contained introduction to grammar for students who only take one course at the university level.”

“This is a book that is geared towards students who will not take many linguistics classes and who need a practical introduction to analyzing English sentences. What makes this book stand out are the author's conscious choices to keep the book student-friendly without oversimplifying the material that is discussed. [...] Van Gelderen's focused contribution to the textbook shelf for English grammar classes is highly welcome. It balances linguistic argumentation and practical answers in a student-friendly manner and draws a clear line between what can be achieved in a one-semester introductory class and what should be left to further exploration.”

“This textbook is ideally pitched for teaching syntax to the many students who take ‘Structure of English’ courses across America every year. Special about this text is that it integrates syntactic analysis into the wider field of English studies by showing how syntactic analysis applies to literature, to some of the dialect issues central to English education, as well as to the historical development of the English language.”

“With the practical application of grammar to coherent texts, syntactic structures are filled with meaning, and they are embedded in their functional context, so that the students learn to consider sentences as meaningful building blocks of larger units. [...] thoroughly reader-friendly, since it contains numerous exercises with keys. Additionally, there are extensive reviews decelerating the speed of the course, valuable suggestions for class discussions, and conclusions at the end of the chapters, which guarantee a comprehensible presentation.[...] a lucid and thus worthwhile introduction to English phrase and sentence structure geared towards the needs of first-year students. As it contains numerous helpful exercises which can be utilized in teaching English syntax at University level, the book is of practical value for both lecturers and students.”

“Another student-friendly element are the exercises throughout the book, which are generally followed by model answers. The point of the model answers is to provide feedback to the students. There is no implication that there is only one acceptable answer to a question. Students will also like the `special topics’ despite all affirmative nods to a descriptive approach they still expect a grammar class to tell them `what is right’, or at least `why some people think that some things are right and others are not’.”