A University Grammar of English is a short-er version of A Grammar of Contemporary English on which the authors worked in collaboration with Geoffrey Leech and Jan Svartvik.


The structure of the parent book has been preserved so that reference can easily be made to it, though in many respects the authors have incorporated revisions, improvements, and expansions. The present treatment has been adapted to the needs of students who require maximum comprehensive-ness with maximum economy of presentation. The authors carefully indicate constructions which distinguish spoken from written, formal from informal, or british from American usage.

Table of Content
Varieties of English
Elements of Grammar
Verbs and the Verb Phrase
Nouns, Pronouns, and the Basic Noun Phrase
Adjectives and Adverbs
Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
The Simple Sentence
Adjuncts, Disjuncts, Conjuncts
Coordination and Apposition
Sentence Connection
The Complex Sentence
The Verb and its Complementation
The Complex Noun Phrase
Focus, Theme, and Emphasis