Customer Reviews

English Grammar: Language As Human Behavior

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 2005-2006 I taught a grammar class both semesters at a university. The class was made up of English majors (and people from other disciplines) who wanted to improve their writing and pre-service ESL teachers who needed to know about the structure of English. Due to the high cost of this book I undertook a search to find if there was any other book out there I'd rather that my students have. I didn't find one. This book is the best combination of the prescriptive and descriptive grammar I wanted that I was able to find.

If you are a linguist and you are looking purely for descriptive grammar, you could definitely start with this book, but you might want to go on to The Grammar Book (by Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman) or the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (by Biber, et al.)

If I were teaching a descriptive-grammar class at the undergraduate level, I might consider the Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English.

I was introduced to this book as an undergraduate in an English BSE program. My high school teachers, like many, went light on the grammar. I learned a lot from the book and so did my fellow future English teachers. I now refer my students to this book. This book explains things thoroughly and clearly. If you are doing it on your own, you can just do the exercises for the areas in which you need to improve. Since the answers are in the back, you can check yourself immediately. Don't be turned off by the price of the book. It is worth the money.

This is a very good survey of English grammar. Its outstanding features are reader-friendliness and the interactive approach manifested in discussion exercises intertwined with the text and practice exercises after each chapter. The student is invited to be an active participant in the learning process. The book is transparently organized and very beautifully produced, with charts and other typographic devices enhancing the structure of the text.

Was in great condition and exactly what I needed for LIN244 last fall. Also didn't take too long to ship to me (Michigan).

I love grammar.

I love this book!

Anita is fabulous and I really enjoy reading all about grammar!!!

(I am serious.)

Thanks for send the book in such great condition. I was really happy with my purchase.

One can see that to a certain extent this nice English textbook echoes Kolln's "Understanding English Grammar".

However, the key difference lies in the fact that unlike Kolln's, Barry's text does not use Reed-Kellogg diagrams to represent the structure of sentences.

One of the best features of "English Grammar" is Chapter 13 SENTENCE ANALYSIS. In this chapter, a method of describing the very complicated sentences that occur routinely even in common conversation is presented in terms of simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences. These kinds of complex sentences are grouped together and summarized in only one chapter, whereas in Kolln's text such concepts are scattered around.

The book was in really great shape, and only had a few notes here and there throughout. So I'm happy with the quality of the book. However, the fact that it started in Bell, Calif. and then went all the way to Des Moines, Iowa troubles me, especially since I live in Oregon, and that's where it was supposed to be going. West not East. Anyway, if you're going to order a book for a class I suggest you order it super freaking early, cause it may end up taking an extended vacation while on its trip.

The service was as promised, condition as promised and prompt mailing. Book is very detailed - more than necessary but excercises are good. Recommend this seller

I ordered this book on the 27th of April with the understanding it would not be shipped until May 1st at the earliest. By May 13th when I had still not received the book, I contacted the seller to ask when it had been mailed. She said it should come shortly. I received the book 3 days later, postmarked May 13th.
I realize this falls within an acceptable timeframe by Amazon's standards, however it was not what I expected as I had a class beginning mid May and readings to complete beforehand.