'Brown and Miller are observers par excellence of what Henry Sweet called the "real life of language". Their fascination with constructions that typify spoken and non-standard Englishes set this new book on English syntax apart. It will become a landmark in the writing of grammars for the twenty-first century.' Karen Corrigan, Newcastle University A descriptive and comprehensive account of English syntax and grammar Tackling the role of syntactic constructions in text, this companion brings out the connections between syntactic structures and semantics/pragmatics and the function of different clausal structures in written and spoken texts. It also draws attention to the variation in standard written English, the grammatical structures and discourse devices in spoken English, and the ongoing changes in English grammar. It focuses on the concepts of descriptive grammar as extended and refined over the last fifty years. Key Features - Encyclopaedic format gives immediate access to the most relevant topics - Cross-referencing allows students to follow a thread and explore the interrelationships among syntactic structures - Innovative content structure enables lecturers to decide the order in which topics are discussed and reading is prescribed This is a practical yet flexible reference book that can be returned to again and again, whether it be for learning, research or teaching. Keith Brown is an Affiliated Lecturer in the department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge. Jim Miller is Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow in Linguistics and English Language, The University of Edinburgh. Cover image: Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN [PPC] 978-0-7486-9608-6 ISBN [cover] 978-0-7486-9610-9 Barcode