Rediscover Grammar Third edition

by David Crystal

* Clear demonstration of how language structures link together, description of features and usage and cautions against easy mistakes. * Includes new sections on ethnic variation and electronic communications and analyses of grammar in whole texts to reflect the modern world realistically * Updated to reflect developments in terminology following the National Curriculum and Key Stage 3 framework. * Lively writing style, grammatical examples from a rich range of sources and humorous illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Language, Writing, Read For School, School

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1987

About the author

David Crystal works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1941, he spent his early years in Holyhead. His family moved to Liverpool in 1951, and he received his secondary schooling at St Mary's College. He read English at University College London (1959-62), specialised in English language studies, did some research there at the Survey of English Usage under Randolph Quirk (1962-3), then joined academic life as a lecturer in linguistics, first at Bangor, then at Reading. He published the first of his 100 or so books in 1964, and became known chiefly for his research work in English language studies, in such fields as intonation and stylistics, and in the application of linguistics to religious, educational and clinical contexts, notably in the development of a range of linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He held a chair at the University of Reading for 10 years, and is now Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. These days he divides his time between work on language and work on internet applications.

source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/

Reviews

[Apostrophoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drooooooooool.
Grammar.
I get more weird by the day.

[Michael Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book - especially a good handbook - on grammar.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for English students this essential, indispensable guide to English grammar helped me through my A’ Level English Language and English Literature examinations as a trusty guide. However, anyone who is interested in English or writers will find this book extremely useful and quite informative as it explains everything in detail. If you are writing a novel, doing your school homework or trying to understand child language acquisition then this little volume is brimming full of clarification on topics that you will want to know. Such as where to put apostrophes, paragraphing and sentence structure, and punctuation that will ultimately teach you the fundamentals of Basic English grammar. This lively and entertaining book complete with amusing illustrations will not only inform but also entertain, as you explore the basics of speech and writing to writing in a more formal and technical format; such as essay writing, assignments, articles and novels.

David Crystal presents this subject in a most engaging, enjoyable and readable way that is captivating and highly memorable hence being ideal for all writers and students. The use of conversational and simple format makes each subject easy to follow, as it is set out in such a way that anyone could easily understand it; with boxes, sub-headings and bullet points. Rediscover Grammar gives easy-to-follow advice on a subject that we all can find baffling at times, even for those individuals who have had many years within this specific sector; we all can make simple errors down to the small comma. At the end of the book there is also a useful index which lists tricky points and common things that one might want to look up as a reference. Whether you are starting from scratch (such as a foreign student or school student) or want to revise and brush up on your current knowledge of English grammar, then this book is ideal as it contains absolutely everything. I never thought that I would find one small, easy to read guide that would contain everything that I wanted to know for my English writing and studies, hence I do not know how I would cope without it.

This is a revised edition that discusses also issues of importance to the curriculum, such as language variety and the nature of standard English; required for A’ Level English Literature (AS and A2).

[Stella Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grammar. Concise explanations with many examples. What else is there to say?

I bought this book as I was studying to become an English teacher. Now having changed programmes it didn't sit right with me to have spent 4000kr on books I'll never read.

[Noodles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm kinda disappointed with this book.
I got it to help with proofreading and editing, which I do by feel rather than by the rules. So thought a proper book would be a good idea.
It is good, but I just don't find it very useful for practical applications.
I tried reading it; nearly died of boredom and didn't remember any of it.
Whenever I try to look something up, it's very hard to find what I want. And then there's a lot of very technical terms about language, but not much about how to actually use it.
Reminds me of a manual about lego that intricately describes all of the different pieces, but doesn't tell you how to build with it!
New Hart's Rules is still my go-to. It quickly tells me what I need to know without bending my brain out of shape with complications.

[Philip McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite technical. If grammar's not your thing, probably not for you. But I've been a fan of David Crystal since I did linguistics in the 70s. I'm always itching to correct people who say things like "He told he and I what to do." It's "He told him and me"! But I remember our tutor saying right at the beginning of our course "Linguistics is descriptive not prescriptive". Incidentally even bloody Shakespeare said things like "to thou and I". Still he couldn't even spell his own name consistently! :).

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book is so confusing and really good at the same time. I would definitely be referring back to it, and I would most probably read some more grammar and orthography books. Awesome.

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ane excellent way to simplify grammar.

[Arbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good,short, straight forward and simple grammar basic book, easy to follow, with plenty of examples, should be in any reference bookshelf, particularly if you have kids that find English a bit challenging.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was supposed to skim read this for my course and ended up reading the majority. I adore David Crystal's books and would definitely recommend to all as it's gives an insight into Grammar that I never believed I was capable of understanding!

[Rea]

Explanations that clear and easy to remember. Always exactly what you want when trying to brush up on your grammar.

[Ed Teacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for refreshing knowledge

[Dominic Neesam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear, precise work, easily accessible and pocketbook sized to boot