A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language

Book excerpt: What is grammar? Grammar refers to the structural rules that govern the formation of words, phrases, and clauses in a language. Grammar encompasses morphology and syntax. 'A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language' is a descriptive grammar that strives to provide an objective description of English as used without value judgements. This grammar book approaches the description of English morphology and syntax through two frameworks: the Form-Function Method and Construction Grammar. The Form-Function Method of grammar is based on four principal tenets: (1) Languages contain a finite number of grammatical forms. (2) Languages contain a finite number of grammatical functions. (3) Grammatical forms perform one or more grammatical functions. (4) Grammatical functions can be performed by one or more grammatical forms. The Construction Grammar framework approaches language as consisting of grammatical constructions that form the basic units of language. Construction Grammar analyzes language as expressed, positing no underlying form. Written for students between the ages of 12 and 14 in seventh and eighth grade of junior high, this grammar begins by describing the grammatical forms possible in English. The word classes in English are nouns, pronouns, adjectives, determiners, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, postpositions, p-words, conjunctions, adverbializers, relativizers, complementizers, and interjections. The phrases in English are noun phrases, adjective phrases, determiner phrases, verb phrases, adverb phrases, prepositional phrases, and postpositional phrases. The clauses in English are independent clauses, adjective clauses, noun clauses, and adverb clauses. This grammar also describes the grammatical functions that words, phrases, and clauses can perform. Book 1 (Level 7) covers the introduction and chapters 1 to 11. Book 2 (Level 8) covers chapters 12 to 18 and the conclusion. The included workbook contains questions and answers for each chapter in the textbook including the introduction. The glossary in Book 2 provides an alphabetical list of the definitions of the bold terms throughout the textbook. The appendices in Book 2 offer quick references on English forms and functions, strong verbs, adjective phrase complements, prepositional verbs, catenative verbs, and phrasal verbs. A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language: Book 1 (Level 7) was previously published as A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language for Junior High: Book 1. The content is identical. Only the title changed to reflect the inclusion of the textbook/workbook in the A Form-Function English Grammar series. A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language: Book 1 (Level 7) is the seventh title in the series.