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9780197521823

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A celebrated historian of the English language takes us on an entertaining stroll through the history of our grammar--from the beginning to last week. Throughout, the author is a gifted, agile, and amusing teacher.--Kirkus [David Crystal's] goal is not to flex his language knowledge, but to help clean up all the mess that prescriptive grammar teaching has caused... Crystal is on point.--Popmatters A surprisingly entertaining historical and scholarly tour of the mechanics of English... [Making Sense is a] masterly telling of why a living language's grammar, like its vocabulary, is not only unfinished, it is unfinishable. One could not have a more genial guide for such a tour.--New York Times Book Review For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas... Essential.--CHOICE Reviews For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas. The book first introduces parts of speech, clauses, and grammatical functions by tracing the language development of Crystal's daughter. Next comes a set of chapters on the role of grammar in communication and the importance of semantics and context. Crystal rounds out the book by discussing grammar change (and resistance to change) and the educational consequences of do-as-I-say-ism. Many chapters offers interludes, as the author calls them, in which the history of grammar and grammar teaching are brought to life. Making Sense ends with a summary of ten principles about grammar--not grammar rules but rather key ideas that encapsulate Crystal's view of grammar as an intellectual enterprise--along with an appendix on grammar teaching and testing. --Choice Crystal is the rock star of English linguistics studies, a writer and editor of more than 100 books targeted to both academics and civilians... Lucky for us, he writes with wit and charm, and is at home contextualizing language in the time of the Greeks as well as in the era of texting.--Journal of Magazine Media

"""A celebrated historian of the English language takes us on an entertaining stroll through the history of our grammar--from the beginning to last week. Throughout, the author is a gifted, agile, and amusing teacher.""--Kirkus ""[David Crystal's] goal is not to flex his language knowledge, but to help clean up all the mess that prescriptive grammar teaching has caused... Crystal is on point.""--Popmatters ""A surprisingly entertaining historical and scholarly tour of the mechanics of English... [Making Sense is a] masterly telling of why a living language's grammar, like its vocabulary, is not only unfinished, it is unfinishable. One could not have a more genial guide for such a tour.""--New York Times Book Review ""For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas... Essential.""--CHOICE Reviews ""For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas. The book first introduces parts of speech, clauses, and grammatical functions by tracing the language development of Crystal's daughter. Next comes a set of chapters on the role of grammar in communication and the importance of semantics and context. Crystal rounds out the book by discussing grammar change (and resistance to change) and the educational consequences of do-as-I-say-ism. Many chapters offers interludes, as the author calls them, in which the history of grammar and grammar teaching are brought to life. Making Sense ends with a summary of ten principles about grammar--not grammar rules but rather key ideas that encapsulate Crystal's view of grammar as an intellectual enterprise--along with an appendix on grammar teaching and testing."" --Choice ""Crystal is the rock star of English linguistics studies, a writer and editor of more than 100 books targeted to both academics and civilians... Lucky for us, he writes with wit and charm, and is at home contextualizing language in the time of the Greeks as well as in the era of texting.""--Journal of Magazine Media"

A celebrated historian of the English language takes us on an entertaining stroll through the history of our grammar--from the beginning to last week. Throughout, the author is a gifted, agile, and amusing teacher. --Kirkus [David Crystal's] goal is not to flex his language knowledge, but to help clean up all the mess that prescriptive grammar teaching has caused... Crystal is on point. --Popmatters A surprisingly entertaining historical and scholarly tour of the mechanics of English... [Making Sense is a] masterly telling of why a living language's grammar, like its vocabulary, is not only unfinished, it is unfinishable. One could not have a more genial guide for such a tour. --New York Times Book Review For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas... Essential. --CHOICE Reviews For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas. The book first introduces parts of speech, clauses, and grammatical functions by tracing the language development of Crystal's daughter. Next comes a set of chapters on the role of grammar in communication and the importance of semantics and context. Crystal rounds out the book by discussing grammar change (and resistance to change) and the educational consequences of do-as-I-say-ism. Many chapters offers interludes, as the author calls them, in which the history of grammar and grammar teaching are brought to life. Making Sense ends with a summary of ten principles about grammar--not grammar rules but rather key ideas that encapsulate Crystal's view of grammar as an intellectual enterprise--along with an appendix on grammar teaching and testing. --Choice Crystal is the rock star of English linguistics studies, a writer and editor of more than 100 books targeted to both academics and civilians... Lucky for us, he writes with wit and charm, and is at home contextualizing language in the time of the Greeks as well as in the era of texting. --Journal of Magazine Media

Author Information

David Crystal is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He is the author of dozens of books on language, including The Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation, The Story of English in 100 Words, Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling, and Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation.

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