English Grammar: Understanding the Basics

286 Pages·2010·5.13 MB·English

by  Evelyn P. Altenberg

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EnglishGrammar
UnderstandingtheBasics
Lookingforaneasy-to-useguidetoEnglishgrammar?Thishandy introduction
covers all the basics of the subject, using a simple and straightforward style.
Studentswill¢ndthebook’sstep-by-stepapproacheasytofollowandbeencour-
agedbyitsnon-technicallanguage.RequiringnopriorknowledgeofEnglishgram-
mar,theinformationispresentedinsmallsteps,withobjectivetechniquestohelp
readersapplynewconcepts.Withclearexplanationsandwell-chosenexamples,
thebookgivesstudentsthetoolstounderstandthemysteriesofEnglishgrammar
aswellastheperfectfoundationfromwhichtomoveontomoreadvancedtopics.
EVELYNP.ALTENBERGisProfessorintheDepartmentofSpeech-Language-Hearing
SciencesatHofstraUniversity,NewYork.
ROBERT M. VAGO is Professor and Chair in the Department of Linguistics and
CommunicationDisordersatQueensCollege,CityUniversityofNewYork.

English
Grammar
Understanding the Basics
EVELYN P. ALTENBERG
HofstraUniversity
and
ROBERT M.VAGO
QueensCollegeandtheGraduateCenter
CityUniversityofNewYork
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore,
São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521518321
© Evelyn P.Altenberg & Robert M.Vago
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2010
ISBN-13 978-0-511-72945-4 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-51832-1 Hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-73216-1 Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
Tomyhusband,Jim,mydaughters,JenandAlli,
mymother,Lilo,andinmemoryofmyfather,Hans
and
Tomyson,Joel,sothathemightreadthisbookand
understandwhathisfatherwastryingtoteachhim

Contents
Introduction pagexi
Howtousethisbook xii
PartI Kindsofwords 1
UnitI Nouns 3
Lesson1 Identifyingnouns 3
Lesson2 Concreteandabstractnouns 5
Lesson3 Singularandpluralnouns 9
Lesson4 Animateandinanimatenouns 12
Lesson5 Countandnoncountnouns 14
Lesson6 Properandcommonnouns 18
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit1 20
Unit2 Verbs 23
Lesson7 Identifyingverbs 23
Lesson8 Theverbbase 25
Lesson9 Actionverbsandlinkingverbs 27
Lesson10 Transitiveandintransitiveverbs 35
Lesson11 Phrasalverbs 38
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit2 41
Unit3 Determiners 45
Lesson12 Articles 46
Lesson13 Demonstratives 48
Lesson14 Possessives 50
Lesson15 Quanti¢ers 53
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit3 55
Unit4 Adjectives 58
Lesson16 Identifyingadjectives 58
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit4 63
Unit5 Prepositions 65
Lesson17 Identifyingprepositions 65
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit5 68
Unit6 Conjunctions 69
Lesson18 Coordinatingconjunctions 70
Lesson19 Subordinatingconjunctions 73
vii
Contents
Lesson20 Correlativeconjunctions 77
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit6 79
Unit7 Pronouns 81
Lesson21 Subjectandobjectpronouns 82
Lesson22 Re£exivepronouns 85
Lesson23 Demonstrativepronouns 87
Lesson24 Possessivepronouns 89
Lesson25 Interrogativepronouns 93
Lesson26 Relativepronouns 96
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit7 99
Unit8 Adverbs 103
Lesson27 Identifyingadverbs 103
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit8 107
Reviewmatchingexerciseandanswerkey^PartI 109
PartII Kindsofphrases 111
Unit9 Nounphrases 113
Lesson28 Thebasicstructureofnounphrases 113
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit9 119
Unit10 Prepositionalphrases 121
Lesson29 Thebasicstructureofprepositionalphrases 121
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit10 125
Unit11 Verbphrases 126
Lesson30 Thebasicstructureofverbphrases 126
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit11 135
Unit12 Auxiliaryphrases 138
Lesson31 Thebasicstructureofauxiliaryphrases 139
Lesson32 Modals 141
Lesson33 Perfecthave 143
Lesson34 Progressivebe 146
Lesson35 Combiningauxiliaryverbs 148
Lesson36 Thesu⁄xesofauxiliaryverbs 151
Lesson37 Tense 156
Answerkeys:Testyourselfquestions^Unit12 164
Unit13 Subjectsandobjects 169
Lesson38 Subjects 170
Lesson39 Directobjects 173
Lesson40 Indirectobjects 177
Lesson41 Thefunctionsofpronouns 183
viii