The Teacher's Grammar Book

Book excerpt: The Teacher's Grammar Book, Second Edition introduces the various grammars that inform writing instruction in our schools, and examines methods, strategies, and techniques that constitute best classroom practices for teaching grammar and writing. Designed for students who are preparing to become English or language arts teachers, as well as for credentialed teachers who want an easy-to-use guide to questions of methods, grammar, and teaching, this overview of basic English grammar includes the following major topics: a brief history of grammar, teaching grammar, grammar and writing, traditional grammar, transformational-generative grammar, cognitive grammar, dialects, black English, and Chicano English. New in the reorganized and fully updated Second Edition: *new chapter giving a brief history of grammar and grammar instruction; *new chapter on best practices--strategies and techniques that actually work; *expanded chapter on cognitive grammar--a topic not found in other texts of this nature; *expanded chapter on dialects; *summary and evaluation of the minimalist program (Noam Chomsky's most recent revision of transformational-generative grammar)--a topic unique among texts of this kind; and *reduced discussion of transformational grammar.