Conclusion

Abstract

This book contains an account of traditional grammar which has been modified by some elements of more modern approaches to language. The result may be a little eclectic since it draws from both traditions, but it should provide the necessary basis for the understanding of many modern grammars except those which are based exclusively on a contemporary theoretical approach such as transformational generative grammar. But most current descriptions of our language presuppose some acquaintance with traditional concepts and also adopt an approach which combines elements of both traditions. This book does not set out to provide a complete account of English; it attempts to give some understanding of a basic methodology of analysing the language together with some insight into the major characteristics of the contemporary language. Since the basis for the analysis provided in this book is written English, it should allow a reader who has mastered the principles involved to apply them to written English of periods other than our own. Since so much of the literature that we read is from previous periods, this clearly is a matter of some importance.