1st Edition

Grammar and Meaning A Semantic Approach to English Grammar

By Howard Jackson Copyright 1990
    308 Pages
    by Routledge

    308 Pages
    by Routledge

    Grammar and Meaning is an introduction to the study of grammar of contemporary English. It provides an impressive survey of all the main areas of English grammar, from words through to sentences and texts. It introduces and explains the linguistic terms needed to talk about the ways in which language works, from simple terms like adjective to more complex terms like non-finite clause. To meet the needs of both students and scholars, Howard Jackson has produced an innovative approach to the study of English grammar. Instead of concentrating on the formal and theoretical discussion of grammar, as many introductions do, this original analysis examines the 'meanings' we want to express when we use language. Beginning with the question, "What do we talk about?", it goes on to investigate how these meanings are structured in the grammar of English. These notions are closer to our ordinary understanding of what language is doing, and therefore the forms and structures of grammar are more easily grasped. The book is extensively illustrated with examples from real English. With analytical exercises in each chapter and a comprehensive glossary of terms, the book will prove and invaluable aid to students of English language, linguistics and English as a Foreign Language, whilst also being accessible to anyone who studies English grammar as part of their course.

    List of key diagrams and tablesAcknowledgementsIntroduction1 States, Events, Actions: Verbs2. Participants: Nouns3 Circumstances: Adverbs and prepositions4 Specifying States, Events and Actions: Tense, aspect and modality5 Specifying Participants: Determinatives and modifiers6 Propositions: Sentences7 Propositions as Participants and Specifiers: Embedded clauses8 Propositions as Circumstances: Adverbial clauses9 Combining Propositions: Co-ordination and conjunction10 Messages: Texts. ReferencesKey to ExercisesGlossary of TermsIndex

    Biography

    Howard Jackson