Contents
Texts xv
How to use this book xviii
Acknowledgements xx
Permissions xxi
Abbreviations xxiii
1 The Noun Phrase 1
1.1 Introduction: the structure of the noun phrase 2
1.2 Premodification 5
1.3 Postmodification 12
1.4 Articles 18
1.5 Pronouns denoting the first－person singular 22
1.6 Pronouns: the first－person plural 29
1.7 Pronouns: the second person (1) 34
1.8 Pronouns: the second person (2) 38
2 The verb Phrase 45
2.1 Introduction: the structure of the verb phrase 46
2.2 Narrative time, story time and tense 49
2.3 Simple and compound verb phrases 55
2.4 Uses of the present tense 64
2.5 The passive 69
2.6 The imperative 72
2.7 Non－finite verb forms: ‘to + base’ form (the infinitive) 77
2.8 Non－finite verb forms: ‘－ing’ forms 80
2.9 Non－finite verb forms: time and tense 83
3 The Clause 89
3.1 Introduction to syntax 90
3.2 Analysing clause structure 94
3.3 The relationship between S and V 98
3.4 Relative size of syntactic elements: light X elements 102
3.5 Obligatory X elements (transitivity) 109
3.6 Expansion of X elements 112
3.7 Heavy S and X elements before the verb 116
3.8 Placement of adverbials in the clause 120
3.9 Main clauses 124
3.10 Coordination 133
3.11 Subordination and the sentence 140
3.12 Ambiguity in syntax 142
3.13 Prepositions 147
3.14 Interrogatives 156
4 Text Structure 163
4.1 Introduction to text structure: cohesion and coherence 164
4.2 Information structure: given to new 166
4.3 Ellipsis 170
4.4 Cohesion and coherence 176
4.5 Coherent models: thought 179
4.6 Coherent models: other languages 187
4.7 Coherent models: speech 195
5 Vocabulary 203
5.1 Introduction to vocabulary 204
5.2 Register: use of romance vocabulary 209
5.3 Register: use of ‘long’ words 213
5.4 Word－formation: bound morphemes 215
5.5 Romance 220
5.6 Semantic fields 222
5.7 Collocation 227
5.8 Synonyms 230
Index 235