English Explained: A Guide to Misunderstood and Confusing Elements of Grammar

by Steve Hart

Overview

English Explained explores the areas of English grammar that are most affected by misinformation and confusion and supplies the learner with the knowledge to finally grasp the workings of this multifaceted language. The fifty sections of English Explained cover the misunderstood, the misleading, and anything that appears to break the standard grammar ‘rules’ we are all taught. The book has been written, in the first instance, for teachers and prospective teachers (TESOL/TEFL) whose first language is not English. A key aim of the book, then, is assisting both students and teachers on a practical level by equipping them with the knowledge and the awareness to answer any challenging questions a teacher or an enquiring student may pose over the course of an English class. It will also prove invaluable to students of all disciplines who seek a better grasp and understanding of English grammar—essential for achieving competency in both writing and reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789888528431
Publisher:	Hong Kong University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2020
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Steve Hart works as an English skills coordinator and is the author of Expand Your English: A Guide to Improving Your Academic Vocabulary (HKU Press, 2017) and English Exposed: Common Mistakes Made by Chinese Speakers (HKU Press, 2017).

Table of Contents

Annotated contents viii

Key to symbols xi

Introduction xii

Chapter format xiv

A Noun, Number, and Determiner

1 Curious capitalisation 3

2 Nouns with changing countability 5

3 Quantities that do not add up 8

4 Collective divisions? 11

5 The singular elements of a compound 13

6 Possessing a choice 16

7 Determining an order 19

8 The strong and the weak determiner 21

9 Approximate coordination 23

10 We, meaning me or you or us 26

11 The individual pronoun problem 28

12 A specifically indefinite reference 31

13 This rule requires a second mention 35

14 Are some proper nouns more definite than others? 37

15 Can't we just omit articles? 39

Understanding 1-15 43

B Verbs (Tense, Mood, and Modals)

16 Conversion: When words switch classes 49

17 The missing object of the transitive 52

18 The verb with various forms 55

19 Doubling upon regular verb forms 58

20 A present reading of a past action 60

21 Presenting the future in the past 63

22 The peculiar perfect progressive 65

23 Reporting on backshifting 68

24 Conditions for conditionals 70

25 In an unreal mood 73

26 Passives should be actively used 75

27 It doesn't seem active, but it doesn't look passive 78

28 '-ing'terpreting 81

29 Masquerading as modals 84

30 The possibilities of may 87

31 Shall I or will I? 89

32 Does do double up? Understanding 16-32 93

C Prepositions, Adjectives, and Adverbs

33 Ending the preposition debate 99

34 Attributing a position to an adjective 103

35 Getting adjectives in order 106

36 Quite ungradable adjectives 108

37 Adverbs disguised as adjectives 111

38 Time adverbs that appear everywhere 114

39 When an adverb has a negative influence 116

40 To boldly split the infinitive 119

Understanding 33-40 123

D Subject, Clauses, and Questions

41 The topic is the subject 127

42 Although they look like main clauses… 129

43 When discussing dangling … 131

44 Subject and verb switching 134

45 A positive clause, a positive tag 136

46 You know how to respond to this question, do you? 138

47 Unanswered questions 141

48 A word with no meaning 144

49 The sentence that makes you wait 147

50 Expanding on the contraction 149

Understanding 41-50 151

Answers 155

Appendix 157

Glossary 159

Subject index 161