English Syntax An Introduction

This abridged version of Radford's Minimalist Syntax: Exploring the Structure of English offers a concise, accessible introduction to current syntactic theory, drawing on the key concepts of Chomsky's Minimalist Program. Assuming little or no prior grammatical knowledge, it leads students through a range of topics in English syntax, beginning at an elementary level and progressing in stages towards more advanced material. An extensive glossary is included and each chapter contains a workbook section with "helpful hints," exercises, and model answers, suitable for class discussion and self-study.

This textbook, first published in 2004, provides a concise, clear, and accessible introduction to current syntactic theory, drawing on the key concepts of Chomsky's Minimalist Program. Assuming little or no prior grammatical knowledge, Andrew Radford takes students through a wide range of topics in English syntax, beginning at an elementary level and progressing in stages towards more advanced material. There is an extensive glossary of technical terms, and each chapter contains a workbook section with 'helpful hints', exercises and model answers, suitable for both class discussion and self-study. This is an abridged version of Radford's major new textbook Minimalist Syntax (also published by Cambridge University Press), and will be welcomed as a short introduction to current syntactic theory.

1. Principles, parameters and universal grammar; 2. Categories and features; 3. Syntactic structure and merger; 4. Null constituents; 5. Head movement; 6. Wh-movement; 7. A-movement; 8. Case, agreement and movement; 9. Split projections; 10. Phases.

This textbook - an abridged version of Radford's Minimalist Syntax - provides a concise and accessible introduction to syntactic theory. Assuming little prior grammatical knowledge, it takes students through a range of topics in English syntax. Includes an extensive glossary, 'helpful hints', and exercises with model answers.

Andrew Radford is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Essex.