Essential English Grammar

Philip Gucker

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9780486113388
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: English Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

This English grammar has been specially designed for readers with limited learning time, who wish to gain command of all the important points of grammar needed for everyday speech and comprehension, yet who do not wish to be unnecessarily burdened with archaic, highly literary, or seldom used forms. Summarizing all the major constructions, principles, and basic terminology, this book will provide readers with a firm foundation in essential English grammar.
The text proceeds in easy, natural steps, beginning with simple sentence structure and advancing logically to more difficult constructions. More than 600 practice exercises and solutions make this an excellent home-study text. Organized with clarity and emphasizing explanation rather than rote memorization, this selective grammar can be used effectively as a course supplement, as an introduction for beginners, or as a reference for students and teachers.

Part I

THE ESSENTIALS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

In Part I you will find a clear and concise summary of English grammar: its forms, principles, and basic terminology. The material is presented in non-technical language and in easy, natural steps, beginning with the structure of the simple sentence, and continuing through the various parts of speech and other common sentence elements to the more difficult constructions. All terms and forms are amply illustrated with models and practice exercises. The section ends with “A Dictionary of Grammatical Terms,” in Chapter 20, which will be useful for ready reference.

This section provides the basic principles which you will be able to apply in Part II.

I

THE SENTENCE: SUBJECT AND PREDICATE

Subject and Predicate

The basic unit of written expression is the sentence.

A sentence is a group of words that says something, all by itself. It is complete; it can stand alone. It is followed by a period (or, in certain cases, a question mark or an exclamation point).

In grammatical terms, a sentence is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. The subject is the person or thing you’re talking about. The predicate (to predicate means to say or declare) is what you’re saying about it. For example:

We won.

The subject is we; the predicate is won.

Mr. Canby’s house is at the end of the road.

The subject is Mr. Canby’s house; the predicate is is at the end of the road.

It is fundamental that a subject or a predicate by itself doesn’t say anything. It isn’t a sentence. In order to form a sentence you must have both a subject and a predicate.

My favorite program	has been discontinued for the summer.
She	is always busy doing odd jobs around the house.
Many of the members	have resigned.
The proof of the pudding	is in the eating.

Transposed Order

You notice, of course, that in these sentences the subject comes first; that’s the normal order. But you can’t depend upon that. Often, for emphasis or variety, we put the predicate first (transposed order—turned around).

The winning run came across the plate. (normal order)

Across the plate came the winning run. (transposed order)

In such a sentence either way is possible; the writer has his choice.

Each example below of transposed order has been rewritten to indicate the more usual subject-predicate order:

Down the street came a ragged procession of children.

(A ragged procession of children came down the street.)

Now comes the fun.

(The fun comes now.)

On the other side of the tracks was a car dump.

(A car dump was on the other side of the tracks.)

Even more commonly the predicate may be split up, part of it coming at the beginning of the sentence, part at the end. This order is sometimes called mixed.

At the beginning of the season Klein was benched for weak hitting.

(Klein was benched at the beginning of the season for weak hitting.)

Suddenly I heard a voice.

(I suddenly heard a voice.)

Common sense tells you that the expressions “at the beginning of the season” and “suddenly” are not part of the person you’re talking about (the subject), but part of what you’re saying about him (the predicate).

Practice in Recognizing Subjects and Predicates

Draw a single line under any word that belongs with the subject, a double line under any word that belongs with the predicate.

Every word in the sentence must be underlined. Example:

(Answers on page 151)

1. One of the covers is missing.
2. Mrs. Wilkinson settled down comfortably in her favorite rocker.
3. Many years ago I heard the same story with a different ending.
4. New countries in Africa and the Near East have become very important in the U.N.
5. The possibility of a voyage to the moon is no longer remote.
6. Experience is the best teacher.
7. Stamped at the head of the appeal was the single word: “Refused.”
8. After many years his father returned.
9. Slowly, but with increasing speed, the water began to seep through the cracks.
10. One of the most important men in the community has gone.

2

KINDS OF SENTENCES

Declaratave, Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory Sentences¹

So far, every sentence you have been working with has stated or declared something. Such a sentence is called declarative. It is followed by a period.

That is a picture of my father.

A car has just stopped in front of the house.

There are three other kinds of sentences.

An interrogative sentence asks a question:

Is that a picture of your father?

Has the car stopped?

Note that a question mark is used.

An imperative sentence commands or requests:

Please show me the picture of your father.

Look at the license plate.

Use a period after an imperative sentence.

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong and sudden emotion:

Stop that car!

What a picture!

How old he looks!

Isn’t that a shame!

How terrible!

The...

Table of contents

• DOVER BOOKS ON LANGUAGE
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Part I - THE ESSENTIALS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR
• Part II - PUTTING GRAMMAR TO WORK
• Part III - ANSWERS TO PRACTICE EXERCISES
• INDEX
• A CATALOG OF SELECTED DOVER BOOKS IN ALL FIELDS OF INTEREST