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A Descriptive Grammar of English
Andrew Rossiter - 2020  - Revised and updated 2023 -   207 pages
    ISBN :  ‎ 979 - 8851404597 - paperback (Guide prices : UK £18.50 / USA: $27)
    ISBN : 978 - 2958385507 - hardback (Guide prices: UK  £26 / USA: $39)
    Kindle E-book from £3.99 / € 3.99

Buy online from recommended bookstores  ►
 Blackwells of Oxford (UK, Europe), Barnes & Noble (American English edition, USA, Canada),   Amazon (worldwide) or   ► see more distributors

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 ►►   Check out on Amazon
 ►►     Also available through leading  bookstores*
 ►►   Egalement disponible en français
 American English version ►  A New English Grammar

Selected critical reviews

Reviewed in OPEN! Magazine (Estonian English teachers association) 2023
(A Descriptive Grammar of English) should belong as a handbook in every EFL teacher’s collection.
Reviewed in VOICES the Journal of the IATEFL 2022
Andrew Rossiter’s A Descriptive Grammar of English by Example should be included on your list of reference material. It reviews language as it is not only written but also spoken, and will cater for learners from upper-intermediate to advanced levels.The format presented is user-friendly, and unveils the mysteries behind how grammatical features are applied. For the invested student, this book is a huge step forward, and having the English language laid out in such a user-friendly approach is a welcome treat for non-native teachers and learners.
   .. Explanations are clear and accessible, even to long-time professionals who feel the need for further support in sharing the information with both colleagues and learners. And while the book does not offer activities for practice, you will probably want to add it to your resource library.
Reviewed in TESOLANZ newsletter, New Zealand 2021
All good useful stuff and made very user friendly with clear formatting and colour coding. In fact, this is one of the greatest strengths of this publication. It is laid out and colour-coded very effectively, making it easy and quick to reference and cross reference examples. In addition, the reader can easily identify exceptions to rules and see additional notes and warnings about potentially confusing structures.
These features all add up to make it a useful, compact grammar reference, especially for new teachers and those who want to improve their confidence in teaching grammar.
Reviewed in ELTAF Online bulletin, Germany 2021
This book ... is very extensive without being too deep or analytical. The author seems to have a great understanding of many of the challenges that teachers and learners have, and tries to combat these challenges to make the English language more accessible for all of us.
Reviewed in EFL Magazine. 2021
A useful reference book ..... The clarity of explanations and wealth of examples, alongside helpful visual keys, provide both new and experienced teachers with something easy to dip into, regardless of the language level they are teaching..
Reviewed in English Australia journal. 2021
A Descriptive Grammar of English  contains much to recommend it. If you are looking for an affordable e-book or a more accessible reference, this could be for you (or your students).

NEW  Discover the companion workbook: A Practical Grammar of English Verbs

What is descriptive grammar?

Descriptive grammar is grammar that takes account of how a language is really used, not necessarily of how it should be used. Often the two are the same, but descriptive grammar is much quicker on the uptake when it comes to adapting to new ways of using a language. It also takes account of the spoken language as well as the written language. Descriptive grammar is not grammar without rules; but the rules that it proposes are based on contemporary usage, not on some historic precepts.
colour coding  All the grammar you need to explain or understand up to CEFR B2 level and C1 level.
One of the great problems in teaching grammar today is that many teachers are not sure of their grammar, and don't know how to explain when students ask questions.  This book provides  simple and clear answers to most of the questions that students are likely to ask, and spot-on examples to illustrate each essential point of English grammar.

   This is a book that should be in every school library and on the bookshelf of any student or teacher who can use clear and concise explanations of English grammar illustrated by copious examples.

   Whether for native English speakers or for learners of English in EFL, ESL, ESOL or other classes, it offers  a thorough presentation of the essential points of English grammar. On the basis of contemporary usage, it extrapolates clear rules and principles, while avoiding much of the confusing linguistic jargon that is the hallmark of many of the classic English Grammars that have dominated the market for the past forty years.
   All the essential points of English grammar are presented in detail, and the rules and conventions explained (rather than just noted) using language that can be easily understood by readers with at least a reasonable command of English. Particular attention has been paid to avoiding ambiguity and over-complex explanations; and for maximum clarity,  color coding is used throughout in order to relate rules and examples, or to highlight  differences in structures or meaning.

 All sections are copiously illustrated with many hundreds of examples taken from everyday written and spoken English, carefully chosen for the clarity with which they illustrate a rule or a structure of English as it is used today.

Where appropriate, this Grammar distinguishes between written English and spoken English, and in the few cases where they are not significantly the same,  between different usages in British English and American English. It includes clearly illustrated sections on styles of English, word order, and punctuation.

The author, Dr. Andrew Rossiter, former head of Applied Languages at the University of Franche-Comté in Besançon, France, has over thirty years of experience teaching and explaining grammar to university and high school learners of English.

Find  a  bookstore

A Descriptive Grammar of English is available through Amazon stores  and main academic and general bookstores worldwide.
   TIP !  The hardback edition is available in some bookstores for less than the paperback edition in certain Amazon markets. Check out the best prices for your area.
Selected bookstores / distributors
– and other regional distributors.


► See book description on Amazon for more details and to view sample pages.

► By the same author: Problem words in English   Check it out !

Referenced on Academic-self-publishing.com

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