Analysing Sentences

by Noel Burton-Roberts

This highly successful text has long been considered a standard introduction to the practical analysis of English sentence structure. As in previous editions, key concepts such as constituency, category and function are carefully explained as they are introduced. Tree diagrams are used throughout to help the reader visualise the hierarchical structure of sentences. The final chapter sets the analysis in the context of generative grammar. In this third edition , Analysing Sentences has been thoroughly revised. It has an attractive new layout, more examples, clearer explanations and summaries of major points. A major change concerns the analysis of auxiliary verbs, which has been revised to bring it more in line with current thinking. Clear development from chapter to chapter, together with the author’s accessible style, make this book suitable for readers with no previous experience of sentence analysis. A practical and reader-friendly text, it includes many in-text exercises and end-of-chapter exercises, all with answers, and Further Exercises, making it suitable for self-directed study as well as for taught courses. Noel Burton-Roberts is Professor of English Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University. He is the author of The Limits to a Revised Theory of Semantic Presupposition (CUP 1989), the editor of Phonological Conceptual and Empirical Issues (OUP 2000) and Pragmatics (Palgrave, 2007), and the author of numerous articles on various aspects of linguistics and the English language.

Genres: Linguistics, Reference, Language, Writing, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUCK YEAAAAAHHHH, this brings back memories...and shivers, and that feeling you get when you see that little girl from "Ring" crawling out of the well.

[Marta Węglarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Szczerze? Wreszcie jakiś podręcznik na tych studiach, dzięki któremu coś załapałam

[Samah Abugharsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for understanding the basics of syntax. I highly recommend it.

[Matea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It explained everything so neatly making everything sound so easy, and then it posed questions which were dubious and unitelligeble.

[walery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Burton-Roberts, I don't know if you ever come across this comment, but: Thank You. Second term into descriptive grammar, I've been thru many text books, but this one? I found it very friendly and non-judgemental. Everything was neatly described, I haven't felt intimidated by syntax at any point while reading the chapters. Thank You.

P.S. If I ever lose my speech, 'Old Sam sunbathed beside a stream' will be the sentence I WON'T forget.

[Madelén · Rating 2 out of 5]

With everything this book explained, you could google the terms and find easier explanations for it. I just found the explanations too complicated, and they could have been simplified much more. I could not have relied on this book alone to learn everything that is in it. I rely on my professors to help me understand everything.

[Esteban Bernal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it served me well as an introduction to Syntax but it is overly technical for my needs and is not written in the clearest manner.

Not sure why the last chapter isn't part of the introduction. It would have made more sense that way.

[jovana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it was somewhat helpful. It felt like the author went out of his way to gloss over the important terminology and explanations, and stalled with the unimportant, easy terms, writing about them in an unclear manner that's not concise enough.

[Déesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unclear way of writing. Not an easy or enjoyable read. Content is alright.

[Tiron · Rating 4 out of 5]

good, straight-forward explanation about forming the sentences

[Emma Lindhagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the syntax portion of my second term of university English. Very pedagogical and well-structured, imo. Didn't read ch 11 I'll admit but hey, how much could one chapter bring the assessment down?

[Nick Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a linguist, he has the most awful prose style. Example sentences are meant to show he has a 'wacky' sense of humour, but just show him to be an academic cut off from real world concepts like pragmatics, language change and humour. Plus he spends pages explaining the obvious in great detail with over-emphasis on what's wrong and why, while glossing over important concepts or else writing about them in an impenetrable fashion. Even worse, he changes the rules from one edition to the next, so woe betide a student with a second hand copy.
The problem with syntactic analysis (unless another author explains it better than Burton-Roberts) is that syntax is like Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle: you can pin down the state of the English language RIGHT NOW or make observations about how we got here and where we will go, but it's impossible to make rules about sentence structure that apply universally to the past, present and future of English.

[Anika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for uni. Very well written, contains many examples and the explanations are superb. Recommended for anyone studying English at a higher level.

[Renate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear explanation of the syntax of the English language. I found it a very pleasant book to study from.

[Ale]

Iummato

[Giusekhanh]

it was very good