Linguists often portray grammar as a kind of self-sufficient algebra. R. M. W. Dixon offers a new approach, starting from the premiss that a speaker codes a 'meaning' into grammatical forms in order to communicate them to a hearer, who recovers the 'meaning'. He investigates theinterrelation of grammar and meaning, and uncovers a rationale for the varying grammatical properties of different words-why, for instance, we can say I wish to go and I wish that he would go, and then I want to go but not I want that he should go.In the first part of the book there is a review of some of the main points of English syntax, followed by a discussion of English verbs in terms of 'semantic types'. About thirty of these types are examined, including verbs of Motion, of Giving, of Thinking, of Speaking, of Liking, and of Typing.In the last part of the book the author looks in detail at five grammatical topics: complement clauses, which can fill subject or object slot in a main clause; the question of transitivity and causatives; passives of all kinds; promotion of a non-subject to subject slot, as in Dictionaries sellwellR; and the relation between constructions such as They walked and They had a walk, She punched him and She gave him a punchR, and He looked and He took a look.

In this contrastive grammar the comparisons between French and English structures are formulated as rules which associate a French schema with its translation into an equivalent English one. In doing so, the text presents the general principles needed to build a new translation procedure.

Based on a series of lectures given by Leonard Peikoff in 1981, Principles of Grammar offers not only an organized survey of grammatical rules and principles but their connection to the principles of clear thinking and clear writing. "At the end of the course," says Dr. Peikoff, "you should be able to see every grammatical rule, directly or indirectly, as a consequence or expression of some essential requirement of the human mind," not "a simply a hodge-podge of memorized rules that make no sense. ... I hope that [the course will give you] a sense of logic and security. Logic in regard to understanding the nature of grammatical issues-why they are as they are-and therefore security in regard to the whole subject. You will know the purpose, the rationale of the rules, and so I hope you will be able to think at the end that you can now make decisions on your own dubious or controversial cases. You don't have to rely helplessly on authorities."About the Author: Leonard PeikoffLeonard Peikoff is the preeminent Ayn Rand scholar writing today. He worked closely with Rand in New York City for thirty years and was designated as legal and literary heir to her estate. He has taught philosophy at several places, including Hunter College and New York University, and has lectured throughout the United States. Peikoff is the author of Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand; The DIM Hypothesis: Why the Lights of the West Are Going Out; and The Ominous Parallels. He grew up in Western Canada and now lives in Southern California.Michael S. BerlinerDr. Berliner, the editor of Letters of Ayn Rand, Understanding Objectivism and a wide variety of other books, presents these grammar lectures in a reader-friendly format. With the wealth of information (of both correct and incorrect usage), this book will appeal to anyone who wants to improve his writing and communication skills

Reprint of the original, first published in 1845.

This book was first published in 1954, A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles is a valuable contribution to the field of English Language and Linguistics.