The Truth About English Grammar

Do you worry that your understanding of English grammar isn’t what it should be? It may not be your fault. For hundreds of years, vague and confused ideas about how to state the rules have been passed down from one generation to the next. The available books for the general reader – thousands of them, shamelessly plagiarizing each other – repeat the same misguided definitions and generalizations that appeared in the schoolbooks used by your great-great-grandparents. Geoffrey K. Pullum thinks you deserve better. In this book he breaks away from the tradition. Presupposing no prior knowledge or technical terms, he provides an informal introduction to the essential concepts underlying grammar and usage. With his foundation, you will be equipped to understand the classification of words, the structure of phrases and clauses, and why some supposed grammar rules are really just myths. Also covered are some of the key points about spelling, apostrophes, hyphens, capitalization, and punctuation. Illuminating, witty, and incisive, The Truth About English Grammar is a vital book for all who love writing, reading, and thinking about English.

Preface Notation Guide 1 Introduction 2 Clauses, sentences, and phrases 3 Types of words 4 Types of clause 5 Nouns and their phrases 6 Determinatives 7 Verbs 8 Adjectives 9 Adverbs 10 Prepositions 11 Coordinators 12 Subordinators 13 Interjections 14 Content clauses 15 Tenseless subordinate clauses 16 Passive clauses 17 Relative clauses 18 Mythical grammar errors 19 Spelling and punctuation 20 Style Further Reading Glossary Index