A Linguistic Guide to Sentence Structure in American English

A Linguistic Guide to Sentence Structure in American English is an introduction to modern English grammar with a focus on the sentence as the core grammatical structure under analysis. Informed by methodologies employed in contemporary linguistics, the text equips English teachers-in-training with the grammatical knowledge and skills necessary to instruct native and non-native English speakers of diverse linguistic backgrounds and levels of English mastery. The text also serves undergraduate students of English language, rhetoric, and creative writing by incorporating author’s craft sections with detailed structural analyses of masterful sentences by acclaimed authors.

Written in an accessible style with clear explanations and engaging examples, the interactive ebook enables students to read the text and complete digital learning tasks all within a single system. The skill-building activities incorporated in each chapter are designed to help readers gauge their understanding of concepts as they progress from topic to topic and practice grammatical analysis.

The text is organized in two units. Unit I, From Word to Sentence, introduces readers to the structural hierarchy and recursive properties of the building blocks of English sentences—words, phrases, and clauses. Unit II, Inside the Clause, describes tense, aspect, voice, mood, and negation with reference to both mainstream formal American English and vernacular varieties of the language.

A Linguistic Guide to Sentence Structure in American English is an ideal resource for undergraduate students of English language, rhetoric, and composition, and for future teachers of English, especially in K-12 classrooms in the United States.