Adventures in English Syntax

'Professor Freidin's book takes the reader on a delightful journey through the intricacies and idiosyncracies of English syntax, while at the same time providing a lucid, non-technical and painless introduction to current syntactic theory. The book should go a long way towards bridging the gap between linguistic theory and the study of English, greatly enriching both areas of study.' Ian Roberts, University of Cambridge

Autorentext

Robert Freidin is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Princeton University, New Jersey and author of Syntax: Basic Concepts and Applications (Cambridge, 2012).

Zusammenfassung
This unique resource will enrich readers' understanding of English in ways that will make them more effective users of the language. Using clear examples, and assuming no knowledge of linguistics, it introduces the basic concepts of syntactic structure, and shows how they can be applied to reading and writing.

Inhalt

1. One fish two fish: an adventure in ambiguity; 2. Exceptional students and teachers; 3. Introduction to language and linguistics; 4. A review of a book by two philosophers; 5. Bob is certain to succeed; 6. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife; 7. Does every politician who cheats instinctively lie?; 8. Inferior defenses could then, as now, be tackled, as Vernon did at Porto Bello, Exmouth at Algiers, and Seymour at Alexandria; Concluding comment.