Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide

473 Pages·2003·1.959 MB·English

by  Bill Dodd, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper, Ruth Whittle

Modern
G
ERMAN
Grammar
Second Edition
Routledge Modern Grammars
Series concept and development – Sarah Butler
Other books in the series:
Modern French Grammar
Modern Italian Grammar
Modern Spanish Grammar, Second Edition
Modern French Grammar Workbook
Modern Italian Grammar Workbook
Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook, Second Edition
Modern
G
ERMAN
Grammar
A practical guide
Second Edition
Bill Dodd, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper,
Ruth Whittle
First published in 1996
by Routledge
Second edition first published in 2003
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 1996, 2003 Ruth Whittle, Christine Eckhard-Black, John Klapper, Bill Dodd
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Modern German grammar : a practical guide / Bill Dodd ... [et al.]. – 2nd ed.
p. cm. – (Routledge modern grammars)
Includes index.
1. German language – Grammar. 2. German language – Textbooks for
foreign speakers – English. I. Dodd, Bill (Bill J. ), 1950– . II. Series.
PF3112.M55 2003
438.2′421 – dc21 2002155517
ISBN 0-203-42829-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-44053-6 (Adobe eReader format)
ISBN 0–415–27299–8 (hbk)
ISBN 0–415–27300–5 (pbk)
Contents
Introduction ix
How to use this book xi
Glossary xiii
PART A Structures
I Letters and sounds 3
1 Vowels 3
2 Diphthongs 4
3 Consonants 4
4 Stress 5
II Word order 7
5 Simple sentences and main clauses 7
6 Two main clauses 9
7 Direct questions and commands 10
8 Subordinate clauses 11
9 Indirect questions 14
10 Relative clauses 14
11 Order of adverbials 16
12 Noun and pronoun objects 17
13 Position of nicht 18
14 Position of reflexive pronouns 19
15 Flexible word order and emphasis 20
III The case system 23
16 The cases 23
17 The nominative 23
18 The accusative 24
19 The dative 26
20 The genitive 31
21 Apposition 33
IV Nouns 36
22 The article 36
23 Use of the articles 37
24 Determiners 41
25 Gender 43
26 Compound nouns and acronyms 47
v
CONTENTS
27 Gender variations 47
28 Noun declensions 48
29 Plurals 50
V Pronouns 54
30 Pronoun reference and forms 54
31 Other forms used as pronouns 57
32 Pronouns used after prepositions 58
VI Verbs 59
33 Verb forms 59
34 Use of tenses 71
35 Modal verbs 74
36 Separable and inseparable verbs 81
37 Reflexive verbs 87
38 Prepositional verbs 90
39 The subjunctive 93
40 The passive 102
41 Imperatives 105
42 Basic sentence patterns: verbs and their completion 107
VII Adjectives and adverbs 118
43 Predicative and attributive adjectives 118
44 Declension following der etc. 118
45 Declension following ein etc. 120
46 ‘Zero’ declension 121
47 Other adjective types 123
48 Comparison of adjectives 125
49 Extended adjectival phrases 129
50 Adverbs 129
51 Comparison of adverbs 132
VIII Word structure and word formation 134
52 Principles of word formation 134
53 Forming verbs 135
54 Forming nouns 135
55 Forming adjectives 139
56 Forming adverbs 141
57 The meaning of verbal prefixes 142
IX Style and orthography 146
58 Formal and informal style 146
59 Spelling and punctuation 148
vi
Contents
Part B Functions
X Social contact 159
60 Greeting 159
61 Making introductions 165
62 Taking leave 175
63 Eating and drinking 180
64 Giving and receiving compliments 188
65 Expressing commiseration 191
66 Expressing good wishes 195
67 Giving and receiving thanks, expressing appreciation 201
68 Expressing apologies and regret 206
XI Giving and seeking factual information 211
69 Talking and enquiring about existence 211
70 Talking and enquiring about absence and non-existence 215
71 Expressing and enquiring about availability 221
72 Talking about non-availability 224
73 Identifying and seeking identification 227
74 Describing people 231
75 Describing objects 241
76 Describing actions and processes 252
77 Avoiding describing the agent of processes and actions 267
78 Describing origins and provenance 269
XII Putting events into a wider context 274
79 Giving reasons and purpose 274
80 Providing spatial context 281
81 Providing temporal context 286
82 Talking about cause and effect 296
83 Drawing conclusions with reference to sources 300
84 Referring to sources of information 303
85 Reporting other people’s words and claims 307
86 Expressing necessity 309
87 Expressing ability to do something 317
88 Conveying doubt and certainty 319
89 Expressing assumptions, discussing possibility, probability
and conditions 322
XIII Transactions: getting things done 325
90 Attracting attention 325
91 Helping and advising 328
92 Asking for something to be done 333
93 Expressing needs, wishes and desires 336
vii
CONTENTS
94 Expressing objections and complaints 339
95 Giving and seeking promises and assurances 346
96 Issuing, accepting and declining invitations and offers 349
97 Seeking, granting and denying permission 353
98 Making, accepting and declining suggestions 356
99 Issuing and responding to warnings 358
XIV Conveying attitudes and mental states 362
100 Asserting and denying the truth of something 362
101 Expressing knowledge 364
102 Remembering and forgetting 366
103 Expressing future intentions 368
104 Expressing likes and dislikes: people, things and situations 369
105 Indicating preferences 371
106 Expressing indifference 373
107 Voicing opinion 373
108 Expressing firm convictions 375
109 Expressing agreement and disagreement 376
110 Talking about physical well being 381
111 Expressing happiness, fear and sadness 393
112 Expressing satisfaction and dissatisfaction 401
113 Expressing hopes, wishes and disappointment 404
114 Expressing surprise 409
115 Expressing enjoyment and pleasure 412
XV Communication strategies 416
116 Using fillers 416
117 Keeping the channel open 418
118 Asking for spoken linguistic cues 425
119 Shaping the course of a conversation 427
120 Turn-taking in conversations 432
121 Delivering monologues (formal speaking) 435
Index 441
viii
Introduction
Modern German Grammar. A Practical Guide is an innovative reference grammar designed
to be used with modern approaches to teaching and learning German as a foreign
language. The book addresses learners’ practical needs by combining a detailed
description of the grammatical structures of German with a ‘functional’ approach to
language. By functions we mean the specific uses to which we can put language in
order to communicate effectively in particular situations: e.g. apologizing, accepting
or declining an invitation, expressing regret, voicing an opinion or casting doubt on
something.
The book is intended for all those who have a basic knowledge of German, including
undergraduates taking German as a major or minor part of their studies, as well as
intermediate and advanced students in both schools and adult education. It will also
prove an invaluable resource for teachers seeking back-up to syllabuses organized
around functions, or designers of German language courses and syllabuses in all
sectors of education.
Before using the book the reader is advised to refer to pp. xi–xii on ‘How to use this
book’. There are two main parts. Part A (sections 1–59) provides a detailed description
of the structures of modern German, and is in this respect quite close to being a
‘traditional’ grammar. The explanations given in Part A are supported by a detailed
glossary of grammatical terms which assumes no previous grammatical training. In
contrast, the larger Part B (sections 60–121) focuses on functions, explaining and
illustrating the appropriate use of German in particular contexts, the specific ideas the
learner wishes to express and the concrete situations in which he or she is likely to wish
to use them.
There is a comprehensive index at the back of the book. This is a very important
section as the detailed entries on functions, structures and grammatical terminology
allow the reader to approach the language in more than one way: he or she can either
look up how to express a particular function or seek information on how a certain
aspect of the language works. Having located the required function (e.g. ‘Attracting
attention in a dangerous situation’ 90.1), the learner is referred to relevant structures
in Part A (e.g. ‘Use of Subjunctive II’). This approach avoids the difficulties learners
have with traditional grammars, where, faced with expressing something in German,
they frequently do not know which structure(s) they need to look up. In this book,
the grammatical structures needed to perform the function successfully are
highlighted in Part B and can be checked more fully in Part A. An extensive system
of cross-references within and between the two major parts of the book provides
further information which the user may find helpful, especially when consulting
individual functions.
ix