Cambridge

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English Grammar
Understanding the Basics
Looking for an easy-to-use guide to English grammar? This handy introduction covers all the basics of the subject, using a simple and straightforward style. Students will ¢nd the book’s step-by-step approach easy to follow and be encouraged by its non-technical language. Requiring no prior knowledge of Englishgrammar, the information is presented in small steps, with objective techniques to help readers apply new concepts. With clear explanations and well-chosen examples, the book gives students the tools to understand the mysteries of English grammar as well as the perfect foundation from which to move on to more advanced topics.
E V E L Y N P . A L T E N B E R G is Professor in the Department ofSpeech-Language-Hearing Sciences at Hofstra University, NewYork. R O B E R T M . VA G O

is Professor and Chair in the Department of Linguistics and

Communication Disorders at Queens College, City University of NewYork.

English Grammar
Understanding the Basics
EV E LY N P. A LT EN B E RG
Hofstra University

and

ROB E RT M . VAG O
Queens College and the Graduate Center City Universityof NewYork

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521518321 © Evelyn P.Altenberg & RobertM.Vago This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2010 ISBN-13 ISBN-13 ISBN-13 978-0-511-72945-4 978-0-521-51832-1 978-0-521-73216-1 eBook (NetLibrary) Hardback PaperbackCambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

To my husband, Jim, my daughters, Jen and Alli, my mother, Lilo, and in memory of my father, Hans and To my son, Joel, so thathe might read this book and understand what his father was trying to teach him

Contents

Introduction

page xi xii 1

How to use this book

Part I Kinds of words
Unit I Nouns
3 Lesson 1 Identifying nouns

3 5 9 12 14 18 20

Lesson 2 Concrete and abstract nouns Lesson 3 Singular and plural nouns Lesson 5 Count and noncount nouns Lesson 6 Proper and common nouns Lesson 4 Animateand inanimate nouns

Answer keys: Test yourself questions ^ Unit 1

Unit 2

Verbs
Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9

23 Identifying verbs The verb base 25 27 35 41 23

Action verbs and linking verbs 38

Lesson 10 Transitive and intransitive verbs Lesson 11 Phrasal verbs Answer keys: Test yourself questions ^ Unit 2

Unit 3

Determiners

45 46 48 50 53 55

Lesson 12 Articles Lesson 14Possessives Lesson 15 Quanti¢ers

Lesson 13 Demonstratives

Answer keys: Test yourself questions ^ Unit 3

Unit 4

Adjectives

58 58 63

Lesson 16 Identifying adjectives

Answer keys: Test yourself questions ^ Unit 4

Unit 5

Prepositions

65 65 68

Lesson 17 Identifying prepositions

Answer keys: Test yourself questions ^ Unit 5

Unit 6

Conjunctions

69 70 73Lesson 18 Coordinating conjunctions Lesson 19 Subordinating conjunctions

vii

Contents

Lesson 20 Correlative conjunctions

77 79

Answer keys: Test yourself questions ^ Unit 6

Unit 7

Pronouns

81 82 87 93 99 85 89 96

Lesson 21 Subject and object pronouns Lesson 22 Re£exive pronouns Lesson 24 Possessive pronouns Lesson 25 Interrogative pronouns Lesson 26 Relative pronouns...