Quantity:

More Buying Choices

26 used & new from �3.72

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Reference Books)

Share your own customer images

Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Reference Books) (Paperback)

by R L Trask (Author)

3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

RRP:	�7.99
Price:	�5.48 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�2.51 (31%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, November 12? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

17 new from �3.72 9 used from �3.99

Other Editions:	RRP:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Paperback (1st)			39 used & new from �0.01

Frequently Bought Together

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books)

The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books)

Price For All Three: �16.79

Show availability and shipping details

This item: The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Reference Books) by R L Trask
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books) by R L Trask
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books) by Martin Manser
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books)

by R L Trask

4.6 out of 5 stars (18) �5.57

The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books)

by Martin Manser

4.4 out of 5 stars (5) �5.74

Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English (Penguin Reference Books)

by Eric Partridge

4.0 out of 5 stars (1) �7.67

The Complete Plain Words

by Sir Ernest Gowers

4.4 out of 5 stars (8) �6.47

Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English

by R L Trask

3.6 out of 5 stars (5) �5.42

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Penguin (5 May 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0140514643
ISBN-13: 978-0140514643
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 1.2 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 23,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Popular in these categories:

#2 in	Books > Languages > By Language > Other Asian Languages > Hindi
#10 in	Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauri > Usage Guides
#36 in	Books > Reference > Language > Grammar, Structure & Syntax

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

(What is this?)

Original Penguin Sale opens new browser window

www.NoFlysOnUs.Com/Penguin - upto 70% Off All original Penguin One week Only, Uk Next Day Delivery

Penguin UK-Shop opens new browser window

www.penguin.co.uk - Book publishers in both hardcover and paperback editions.

Product Description

This succinct and authoritative volume is the perfect guide to the many grammatical laws and idiosyncrasies that govern the English Language. Larry Trask writes with remarkable clarity, communicating complex abstract ideas with enviable ease. By focusing only on what is relevant, current and genuinely helpful, THE PENGUIN DICTIONARY OF GRAMMAR is essential reading for linguists, English Language students, and indeed anyone who writes in English. The Society of Freelance Edtitors and Proofreaders recommended his PUNCTUATION book as 'excellent'.

From the Publisher

Some sample entries:

CLEFT

Any of various constructions in which some element of a sentence is removed from its normal position and certain extra words are added to highlight the cleft. The purpose of a cleft is to place the clefted element into FOCUS. For example, starting with the sentence Mike wants a new car, we can form an IT-CLEFT to focus either on Mike (It's Mike who wants a new car) or on a new car (It's a new car Mike wants). Or we can form a WH-CLEFT (or PSEUDO-CLEFT) to focus on a new car: What Mike wants is a new car or A new car is what Mike wants.

MAIN CLAUSE

A CLAUSE which is capable of making a complete sentence by itself; a clause which is not a SUBORDINATE CLAUSE. A sentence always contains at least one main clause, and a SIMPLE SENTENCE consists only of a single main clause. In the simple sentence Susie finished her drink, the whole sentence is the main clause. In the COMPOUND SENTENCE Susie cooked dinner, and Natalie did the washing-up, there are two main clauses connected by and. See also MATRIX CLAUSE.

TOPICALIZATION

The construction in which a phrase is moved out of its ordinary position to the beginning of the sentence in order to serve as a TOPIC. Consider the following sentence: I can't recommend this book. It is possible to move the noun phrase this book to the front of the sentence in order to produce This book I can't recommend, in which this book is topicalized: that is, the new sentence is a comment about this book.

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

reference

grammar

english

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	49% buy the item featured on this page: The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (Penguin Reference Books) 3.8 out of 5 stars (4) �5.48
	22% buy Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation 4.0 out of 5 stars (9) �3.87
	14% buy The Penguin Guide to Punctuation (Penguin Reference Books) 4.6 out of 5 stars (18) �5.57
	9% buy The Penguin Writer's Manual (Penguin Reference Books) 4.4 out of 5 stars (5) �5.74

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy reference for writers, editors and linguistics students., 20 Nov 2007

By	Historical Pedant (Madrid, Spain) - See all my reviews

Larry Trask was one of the greatest contemporary writers on linguistics and grammar, and all his books are packed with lucid, complete, and often very witty descriptions. The cover of this book claims that it shows "How to use English correctly". This is perhaps misleading, because the book is not principally a usage guide. (Two other books by Trask - "Mind the Gaffe" and "The Penguin Guide to Punctuation - do provide solid, clear guidance on writing; anyone looking for instruction on how to write well should get hold of copies of these books first - they are indispensable.) The "Dictionary of English Grammar" contributes to better writing in a more indirect way. It provides succinct and clear definitions of terms and concepts, many of them quite technical, that are used to describe English grammar. In so doing it "enables us to see how language works and how to use it in the right ways" (from the back cover). Despite running to only 148 pages, the book is pretty comprehensive, and just as important it is contemporary. Authorities on English grammar often use terms and concepts in different and conflicting ways, and this can leave the student perplexed and irritated. A major value of Trask's book is that it summarizes these differences; for example, traditional and more recent definitions of "clause" are both explained. So if you have been confused by the varied terminologies used in different sources, this book will provide invaluable help in resolving your questions. This book is a handy reference for anyone interested in the structure of English and the vocabulary used to describe it. But be warned; this is a dictionary of grammatical terms, not a grammar. It makes an ideal partner to a student grammar (such as Longman), but it is not a substitute for one.
Incidentally, the earlier reviewer who was made cross by the use of "who" in an object position would do well to read the entry under "Objective" on page 92, and better still should look up the entry under "Whom" in "Mind the Gaffe" (p296).

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

30 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for undergrad degree students!!, 15 Jan 2002

By A Customer

This book explores the elementry aspects of English Grammar, word class etc but at a higher level and using different tests than what your average A level student will be used to, a great introduction to degree level linguistics and useful extra reading for A level students who are looking for the top grade.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

37 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar, 14 Feb 2003

By A Customer

What a waste of money! I was somewhat surprised to find as early as page 2 a glaring grammatical mistake - "Younger than who" - surely should be "younger than whom". And how about this for a clear explanation - 'this means - "the book which the professor who the students who failed their exams complained about is hard to understand" '. Rather than clarifying English Grammar, this book would lead to confusion and error.

Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 4 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical help with English Grammar
If you need practical guidance on grammar that you can actually use in day to day life then this is the book for you.

Published 14 months ago by Book Nut

› See all 4 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }