This market-leading text for grammar courses is a comprehensive description of sentence structure that encourages students to recognize and use their innate language expertise as they study the systematic nature of sentence grammar. A practical blend of the most useful elements of both traditional and new linguistic grammar, the text emphasizes whole structures, most specifically the ten basic sentence patterns introduced in Chapter 3. Two key features separate this book from others: its clear organization and its user-friendly, accessible language. Both students and teachers appreciate the self-teaching quality that incremental exercises provide throughout the chapters, with answers at the end of the book.

Table of Contents:
  All chapters have Chapter Previews. Preface       Part I Introduction        1.         The Study of Grammar: An Overview     English: A World Language Three Definitions of Grammar     Traditional School Grammar Modern Linguistics     Structural Grammar     Transformational Grammar     The Issue of Correctness     Language Variety     Language Change     Language in the Classroom     Key Terms     Further Reading       Part II: The Grammar of Basic Sentences All chapters in Part II have Key Terms, Sentences for Practice, Questions for Discussion, and Classroom Applications   2.       Words and Phrases  Form Classes Nouns and Verbs The Noun Phrase The Verb Phrase NP + VP = S Adjectives and Adverbs Prepositional Phrases The Structure Classes   3.         Sentence Patterns Subjects and Predicates The Sentence Slots     The Be Patterns     The Linking Verb Patterns     The Optional Slots     The Intransitive Verb Pattern             Exceptions to the Intransitive Pattern             Intransitive Phrasal Verbs     The Transitive Verb Patterns             Transitive Phrasal Verbs             The Indirect Object Pattern             The Object Complement Patterns     Compound Structures     Exceptions to the Ten Sentence Patterns     Sentence Types Interrogative Sentences (Questions) Imperative Sentences (Commands)   Exclamatory Sentences   Punctuation and the Sentence Patterns     Diagramming the Sentence Patterns     Notes on the Diagrams             The Main Line             The Noun Phrase             The Verb Phrase              The Prepositional Phrase             Compound Structures             Punctuation       4.         Expanding the Main Verb The Five Verb Forms              The Irregular Be Auxiliary–Verb Combinations     The Modal Auxiliaries     The “Future Tense”  The Subjunctive Mood     Tense and Aspect         Using the Verb Forms    Exceptions to the Verb=Expansion Rule     The Stand-In Auxiliary Do     The Verb System of African American Vernacular English       5.       Changing Sentence Focus The Passive Voice             The Passive Get             The Transitive-Passive Relationship             Patterns VIII to X in Passive Voice             Changing Passive Voice to Active Voice The Passive Voice in Prose             Other Passive Purposes The There Transformation Cleft Sentences   Part III:            Expanding the Sentence All chapters in Part III have Key Terms, Sentences for Practice, Questions for Discussion, and Classroom Applications   Form and Function   6.         Modifiers of the Verb: Adverbials The Moveable Adverbials Adverbs     Prepositional Phrases     Nouns and Noun Phrases      Verb Phrases             Dangling Infinitives         Participles as Adverbials     Clauses     Punctuation of Adverbials       7.         Modifers of the Noun: Adjectivals The Determiner     Adjectives and Nouns              Prenoun participles    Prepositional Phrases     Relative Clauses     Participial Phrases             Passive Participles             Movable Participles             The Participle as Object Complement             Participles as Adjectivals or Adverbials     Punctuation of Clauses and Participles     Multiple Modifiers     Other Postnoun Modifiers             Infinitives             Noun Phrases             Adjectives             Adverbs         8.         The Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals The Nominal Slots     Appositives             Punctuation of Appositives     Noun Phrase Substitutes     Gerunds             The Pattern of the Gerund             The Subject of the Gerund             Dangling Gerunds     Infinitives             The Subject of the Infinitive     Nominal Clauses             The Expletive That             Interrogatives             Yes/No Interrogatives             Punctuation of Nominal Clauses     Nominals as Delayed Subjects       9.         Sentence Modifiers Nouns of Direct Address: The Vocatives     Interjections     Subordinate Clauses             Punctuation of Subordinate Clauses              Elliptical Clauses     Absolute Phrases     Appositives     Relative Clauses         10.       Coordination Coordination within the Sentence             Punctuation             Elliptical Coordinate Structures             Subject–Verb Agreement             Parallel Structure     Coordinating Complete Sentences             Conjunctions             Semicolons             Colons             Diagramming the Compound Sentence       Part IV:            Words and Word Classes All chapters in Part IV have Key Terms, Questions for Discussion, and Classroom Applications   11.       Morphemes  Bases and Affixes     Bound and Free Morphemes     Derivational and Inflectional Morphemes     Allomorphs     Homonyms     Compound Words       12.       The Form Classes Nouns             Noun Derivational Suffixes             Noun Inflectional Suffixes             The Meaning of the Possessive Case             Irregular Plural Inflections             Plural-Only Forms             Collective Nouns             Semantic Features of Nouns     Verbs             Verb Derivational Affixes             Verb Inflectional Suffixes     Adjectives             Adjective Derivational Suffixes             Adjective Inflectional Suffixes             Subclasses of Adjectives     Adverbs             Adverb Derivational Suffixes             Adverb Inflectional Suffixes       13.       The Structure Classes Determiners             The Expanded Determiner     Auxiliaries     Qualifiers     Prepositions             Simple Prepositions             Phrasal Prepositions     Conjunctions             Coordinating Conjunctions             Correlative Conjunctions             Conjunctive Adverbs (Adverbial Conjunctions)             Subordinating Conjunctions     Interrogatives     Expletives             There             That             Or             As             If andWhether (or not)     Particles        14.       Pronouns Personal Pronouns             Case             The Missing Pronoun    Reflexive Pronouns     Intensive Pronouns     Reciprocal Pronouns     Demonstrative Pronouns     Relative Pronouns     Interrogative Pronouns     Indefinite Pronouns       Part V:             Grammar for Writers   15.       Rhetorical Grammar Sentence Patterns             Basic Sentences             Cohesion     Sentence Rhythm             End Focus     Focusing Tools Choosing Verbs             The Overuse of Be            The Linking Be and Metaphor             The Passive Voice     The Abstract Subject              Who Is Doing What?  The Shifting Adverbials             The Adverbial Clause             The Adverbs of Emphasis             The Common Only     Metadiscourse     Style             Word Order Variation             Ellipsis             The Coordinate Series             The Introductory Appositive Series             The Deliberate Sentence Fragment             Repetition     Antithesis Using Gender Appropriately     Key Terms       16.       Purposeful Punctuation Making Connections             Compounding Sentences             Compounding Structures within Sentences             Connecting More Than Two Parts: The Series     Separating Prenoun Modifiers     Identifying Essential and Nonessential Structures     Signaling Sentence Openers     Signaling Emphasis     Using Apostrophes for Contraction and Possessive Case       Part VI   Glossary of Grammatical Terms       Appendix on Sentence Diagramming   Answers to the Exercises       Index