This is a famous old (1977), but still valuable reference book on English grammar for ESL students.Preface.
With the rapid advance of linguistic science, there has been a revolution in English grammar. 'Traditional' grammar is now considered to be obsolete, to have been forced into a mould originally intended for Latin, and to be dominated by dogma about what should and should not be said. New theories, or 'models', of grammar are constantly being developed. Yet the facts of English usage remain; and people need to know what the facts are.
English grammar is largely a matter of sentence construction. It is information that we can apply, consciously or unconsciously, to form sentences that are acceptable as a whole or in detail. Part One of this book will explain how an English sentence is built up. In the process, it will briefly describe the grammatical system as a whole and will introduce the terminology with which we can label its component parts. The description will include much that is still valid in the old style of grammar, as well as innovations that seem likely to last. Some of the terminology may be new; most of it is well known, though the revolution has obliged us to redefine terms whose meaning has become blurred. In any case, the terminology and the concepts behind it are broadly in accordance with those of A Grammar of Contemporary English, which is without doubt the English Grammar of our times.
Part Two will deal with the detail. It is mainly to this part of the book, together with the Index, that readers will turn for reference. However, an understanding of the information given in Part Two may depend on a careful study of Part One.
This Grammar is, relatively, 'short'. It aims at concentrating on frequently-used constructions. Lists of verbs and adjectives, for example, have been taken, with few additions, from A General Service List of English Words. The adverb 'normally' often occurs in this book. That expression has not been used loosely; it points to a norm from which deviation can occur in the haste of modern times, in the continuance of regional tradition, and, especially, in creative writing.
A bibliography is provided not only as a guide to further reading, but also in acknowledgement of works I have consulted and used.
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