A Student's Introduction to English Grammar [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I used this as the main textbook for a university course "English Grammar and Usage" that I teach. My opinion of the reference work on which it is based, The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, is in keeping with the positive Amazon reviews (for a well-written review by a respected scholar see http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/~culicove/Publications/CGEL_Review.pdf). I am delighted with how A Student's Introduction to English Grammar boils the reference book down for use in the classroom.

The textbook offers a big picture on grammatical issues (hierarchy, lexical categories, form and function, prototypical v. relatively infrequent structures, licensing, etc.) while consistently, concisely, and precisely dealing with the nitty-gritty problems of distinguishing between lexical categories (e.g., between an adverb and a preposition) and between grammatical structures (e.g., between a relative clause and an embedded interrogative clause, both beginning with a wh- word such as who or where).

The exercises at the end of each chapter are very good for checking comprehension of the main points but there are no keys to them. Conscientious students said that they would have liked to have a key so that they could check their understanding as they worked through the exercises; they would also have liked more exercises with clear-cut answers before venturing into more challenging ones. I would post my answers, often accompanied by explanatory notes, after an assignment was due, but perhaps should have posted them ahead of time.

Throughout the semester, I have students analyze texts of various genres for the grammatical structure(s) in focus. By the end of the semester, the top students were able to well identify practically all phrase and sentence structures in short stories and New York Times articles, thanks to the presentations in A Student's Intro. Usage issues such as standard v. non-standard dialects, formal v. informal language, avoiding sexist language, and problems of prescriptive grammar receive some attention in A Student's Intro but if this is an important component of the course, other resources will be needed.

If most of the students have language-related majors/minors - or at least enjoy studies in this area, this is a great book; most of my students in this category said that they did not like the book at first but came to appreciate it as the semester progressed. However, the majority of my students were education majors taking this as a required course and for the majority of them the book was not friendly enough. The compact, serious style is fine for motivated students with a flair for thinking linguistically but for those who do not have this flair the approach of the book can seem too much like that of the demanding high-school teacher filling essays with red ink.

A colleague who teaches the same course uses an atheoretical book which is dated and analytically sloppy compared to A Student's Intro but which is easy to read and filled with "discussion questions" and exercises concerning usage issues clearly pertinent to communication situations in and outside the classroom. Martin Parrott's Grammar for English Language Teachers is in between these two extremes and I will switch to it next semester. I suspect that I will return to using A Student's Intro, looking for ways to improve my pedagogical approach so that the weaker students are better motivated and able to benefit from this excellent work.

When I started studying Tibetan, I discovered pretty quickly that my understanding of English grammar was a little too rusty. While I found help for my affliction on several excellent grammar websites, I wanted a grammar book to throw in my bag with my other study materials; one is not always connected.

Of the seven grammars I considered, "A Student's Introduction to English Grammar" is the hands-down winner. The book is well written, clear, to-the-point and based on recent research rather than 19th century grammar dogma. It includes an overview that maps the rest of the book, individual chapters on each of the major components of English grammar and a decent glossary. I find the technical definitions of terms, wealth of examples and clear structure are almost always just what I need to decode the mysteries of grammarian thinking and understand the key differences between English and Tibetan grammar.

I recommend that book to anyone interested in linguistics or studying a foreign language and for whom English is their first language. I don't believe it is well-suited for English language learners; they would likely be better served by a grammar like Yate's "Master the Basics".

This text helped me to articulate the 'principles' of Standard English by examining our language in all its varieties scientifically and intuitively.

Such articulation necessates a thorough understanding of the notions of descriptive vs. prescriptive, standard vs. nonstandard, formal vs. informal, grammatical vs. ungrammatical, and constitutive vs. regulative.

This introductory text is written for the mature student who has had little or no background in linguistics or traditional school grammar. Consequently, the authors begin by demonstrating how traditional grammar instruction with its eight parts of speech and semantic definitions falls terribly short of accounting for the many rule exceptions and illogicalities of langauge.

I highly recommend this text for English Education majors and secondary school English teachers.