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RR 2014/297 The Cambridge Dictionary of English Grammar Pam Peters Cambridge University Press Cambridge 2013 viii + 391 pp. ISBN 978 0 521 86319 3 £75 $115
Keywords Dictionaries, English language, Grammar
Review DOI 10.1108/RR-07-2014-0202
In places like Britain, the explicit teaching of grammar goes through phases: first, it is out then it is in; then out again and so forth. This becomes especially apparent when you're trying to teach a foreign language; mention the word "complement" and you're met with blank stares; utter the word "accusative" and panic ensues.
Maybe I am exaggerating (a bit), but when it comes to the terminology of grammar many of us are easy prey to doubts. Often, terms we were familiar with may be used by others with different meanings, depending on the academic tradition they are operating from. Other terms may have gone out of favor, to be replaced by new ones. Such is the case of "modifier" which tends to replace "adjective" and refers to those words, like adjectives, appearing before a noun (in English). A practical, trustworthy, easy-to-use guide can therefore prove extremely useful. The Cambridge Dictionary of English Grammar is one such guide.
Authored by the linguist Pam Peters, this reference work aims to assist those who need to "understand grammatical terms and concepts while...