Syntactic Theory and the Structure of English

This textbook based on syntactic theory draws on Chomsky's minimalist programme.

This textbook on syntactic theory draws on Chomsky's minimalist programme. It covers the main topics, presents theoretical issues and discusses structural variation within English. There are extensive integral workbook sections with helpful hints and model answers and a substantial glossary.Andrew Radford's textbook is written for students with little or no background in syntax, and introduces them to key concepts of Chomsky's minimalist programme (e.g. merger and movement, checking, economy and greed, split VPs, agreement projections), as well as providing detailed analysis of the syntax of a range of different construction types (e.g. interrogatives, negatives, passives, unaccusatives, complement clauses). Illustrative material is drawn from varieties of English (Standard English, Belfast English, Shakespearean English, Jamaican Creole and Child English). There is a substantial glossary and an extensive integral workbook section at the end of each chapter with helpful hints and model answers, which aim to get students to analyse phrases and sentences for themselves within a minimalist framework.