An Introduction to Grammar for Language Learners
An Introduction to Grammar for Language Learners
Learning a foreign language is much easier when it is approached with a knowledge of language structure ('grammar'), but many students find grammar mystifying. This text explains points of grammar straightforwardly using examples from several widely-studied languages, including English, so that students can see how the same principles work across different languages, and how the structures of different languages correspond both formally and functionally. The use of concrete examples makes grammar less abstract and easier to grasp, allowing students to relate what they are learning to knowledge that they already possess unconsciously; it simultaneously brings that knowledge up to a conscious level.
- The first general, non-language-specific textbook to introduce the universal principles of grammar for students embarking on the study of a modern foreign language
- Takes examples from a range of commonly-studied languages, to show students the universal grammatical principles that apply to all languages
- Accessibly and simply written, for students with no prior knowledge of linguistics or linguistic terminology
- Suitable for both self-study and classroom use
Reviews & endorsements
'This excellent book represents a new approach to languages and how to learn them. It takes the reader through the wonderful peculiarities and challenges of real language with minimal jargon and maximum common sense. It is packed with insight and practical tips on how to start understanding grammar.' Stephen Colvin, University College London
Product details
No date availablePaperback
9781108441230
230 pages
245 × 174 × 13 mm
0.49kg
Table of Contents
- How to use this book
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Sentences, clauses, and their verbs
- 3. Subjects
- 4. Noun phrases
- 5. Pronouns and subject-verb agreement
- 6. Direct objects
- 7. Double-object verbs
- 8. 'Linking' verbs
- 9. Personal pronoun systems
- 10. Reflexives and passives
- 11. Possession
- 12. Gender, concord, and noun classifications
- 13. Case systems and adpositions: the Latin system
- 14. Tense, aspect, and auxiliary verbs: the English verb system
- 15. Tense, aspect, and mood: the Spanish verb system
- 16. The Latin verb system
- 17. The Hebrew verb system
- 18. The Navajo verb system
- 19. The Mandarin verb system
- 20. Negation
- 21. Questions
- 22. Adjectives and relative clauses
- 23. Articles, demonstratives, and quantifiers
- 24. Subordinate clauses, infinitives, and verbal nouns
- 25. Participles
- 26. Comparative constructions
- 27. The segmental sounds of human languages
- 28. Prosody
- 29. Writing systems
- 30. The lexicon
- Epilogue: 'bad grammar'
- Answers to the exercises
- Glossary of technical terms
- Languages used as examples in the exercises
- References
- Index.
