English Explained : A Guide to Misunderstood and Confusing Elements of Grammar / Steve Hart.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hart, Steve, Author.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (176 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Hong Kong : Hong Kong University Press, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

English Explained explores the areas of English grammar that are most affected by misinformation and confusion and supplies the learner with the knowledge to finally grasp the workings of this multifaceted language. The fifty sections of English Explained cover the misunderstood, the misleading, and anything that appears to break the standard grammar ‘rules’ we are all taught. The book has been written, in the first instance, for teachers and prospective teachers (TESOL/TEFL) whose first language is not English. A key aim of the book, then, is assisting both students and teachers on a practical level by equipping them with the knowledge and the awareness to answer any challenging questions a teacher or an enquiring student may pose over the course of an English class. It will also prove invaluable to students of all disciplines who seek a better grasp and understanding of English grammar—essential for achieving competency in both writing and reading.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Annotated Contents

Key to Symbols

Introduction

Chapter Format

A. Noun, Number, and Determiner

1. Curious capitalisation

2. Nouns with changing countability

3. Quantities that do not add up

4. Collective divisions?

5. The singular elements of a compound

6. Possessing a choice

7. Determining an order

8. The strong and the weak determiner

9. Approximate coordination

10. We, meaning me or you or us

11. The individual pronoun problem

12. A specifically indefinite reference

13. This rule requires a second mention

14. Are some proper nouns more definite than others?

15. Can’t we just omit articles?

Understanding 1–15

B. Verbs (Tense, Mood, and Modals)

16. Conversion: When words switch classes

17. The missing object of the transitive

18. The verb with various forms

19. Doubling up on regular verb forms

20. A present reading of a past action

21. Presenting the future in the past

22. The peculiar perfect progressive

23. Reporting on backshifting

24. Conditions for conditionals

25. In an unreal mood

26. Passives should be actively used

27. It doesn’t seem active, but it doesn’t look passive

28. ‘-ing’ terpreting

29. Masquerading as modals

30. The possibilities of may

31. Shall I or will I?

32. Does do double up?

Understanding 16–32

C. Prepositions, Adjectives, and Adverbs

33. Ending the preposition debate

34. Attributing a position to an adjective

35. Getting adjectives in order

36. Quite ungradable adjectives

37. Adverbs disguised as adjectives

38. Time adverbs that appear everywhere

39. When an adverb has a negative influence

40. To boldly split the infinitive

Understanding 33–40

D. Subject, Clauses, and Questions

41. The topic is the subject

42. Although they look like main clauses . . .

43. When discussing dangling . . .

44. Subject and verb switching

45. A positive clause, a positive tag

46. You know how to respond to this question, do you?

47. Unanswered questions

48. A word with no meaning

49. The sentence that makes you wait

50. Expanding on the contraction

Understanding 41–50

Answers

Appendix

Glossary

Subject Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 19. Oct 2024)

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9789882209909

9882209904

OCLC:

1586548814