Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface xiiAcknowledgments xvii1 Let's get Parsing! 11.1 some introductory words 11.2 let's start understanding what those unconscious rules that create structure are 111.3 some conclusions, and what to look forward to in the coming chapters 16list of terms/concepts 17reference 172 The Subject NP - Outside and In 182.1 some introductory words about the noun phrase vs. the subject position 182.2 the subject position 202.3 let's get inside that NP triangle 232.4 possessive NPs 422.5 conclusions 47 list of terms/concepts 503 The Subject's Better Half: The Verb Phrase 513.1 parts of the verb phrase we already know about 513.2 building up the VP 533.3 revisiting structural ambiguity from Chapter 1 563.4 VPs with double objects 583.5 VPs with adjectives 613.6 constituency test 643.7 conclusions 70list of terms/concepts 714 Up Close and Personal with the Prepositional Phrase 734.1 aspects of the prepositional phrase we already know about 734.2 it's not just the P and NP anymore! 764.3 verb-particle constructions 834.4 modifiers within PP 894.5 lexical vs. functional prepositions 934.6 English prepositions are not inflected 954.7 conclusions 96list of terms/concepts 975 Infinite Wisdom: Sentences Inside the Verb Phrase 985.1 aspects of the verb phrase we already know about 985.2 building up VP 995.3 the complementizer phrase 1085.4 embedded adjunct clauses 1195.5 conclusions 123list of terms/concepts 1246 It's More Complex Than That: The Complex Noun Phrase 1266.1 aspects of the noun phrase we already know about 1266.2 subordinate clauses within the noun phrase 1276.3 the noun complement clause 1316.4 the relative clause 1396.5 subject relative clauses 1526.6 conclusions 157list of terms/concepts 1587 Making Their Presence Felt: Silent Categories 1597.1 what is a silent category in sentence structure? 1597.2 the reality of the trace of movement: wanna?contraction 1637.3 other kinds of silence: the null pronoun 1667.4 the null operator in relative clauses 1827.5 conclusions 184list of terms/concepts 1858 The Main Attraction: Main Verbs and the Simple Tenses 1868.1 overview: the "main verb" and its entourage 1868.2 main verbs: the present, the past, and the future 1918.3 conclusions 214list of terms/concepts 216reference 2179 The Support System: Auxiliaries and the Compound Tenses 2189.1 auxiliary verbs: the support in the English verb system 2189.2 auxiliary have 2219.3 auxiliary be 2429.4 modal auxiliaries 2549.5 verb selection and word order 2609.6 conclusions: all 16 possible combinations 264list of terms/concepts 26610 It Takes a Village: Main Verbs, Auxiliaries, Tense, and Negation 26710.1 the syntax of the English verb system 26710.2 auxiliaries and the syntactic expression of tense 26810.3 main verbs: in a class by themselves 29810.4 conclusions 312list of terms/concepts 313references 31311 Unfinished Business 31411.1 overview 31411.2 tense as the head of S 31511.3 matrix interrogatives 31811.4 x?bar and binary branching 33011.5 adverbs 33511.6 conclusions 340list of terms/concepts 342references 343Index 344

"This book is for people who have never thought about syntax, and who don't know anything about grammar, but who want to learn. Assuming a blank slate on the part of the reader, the book treats English grammar as a product of the speaker's mind, and builds up student skills by exploring phrases and sentences with more and more complexity, as the chapters proceed"-- Provided by publisher.

Junior High School

Text in English