A Grammar of Contemporary English

A Grammar of Contemporary English by Randolph Quirk is a comprehensive reference work on English grammar published in 1972. The book was written in collaboration with Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik at University College London. The text covers all major aspects of English grammar, from basic sentence structures to complex linguistic phenomena. Its systematic approach moves from word classes through phrases and clauses to discourse-level features. The analysis incorporates both British and American English usage, with extensive examples drawn from authentic sources. The authors base their descriptions on empirical research using large corpora of spoken and written English. This volume represents a milestone in descriptive linguistics, offering a framework that balances traditional grammatical concepts with modern linguistic theory. The work's influence extends beyond academic circles to impact English language teaching worldwide.

Readers describe this as a detailed reference text that thoroughly documents English grammar patterns. English teachers and linguistics students find it useful for academic research and teaching, though some note it can be overwhelming for casual readers. Likes: - Comprehensive coverage of grammatical structures - Clear examples and explanations - Strong focus on actual language usage - Valuable for non-native speakers learning advanced English Dislikes: - Dense academic writing style - Complex terminology makes it hard to follow - Physical book is heavy and bulky - High price point Ratings: Goodreads: 4.24/5 (49 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (12 ratings) Multiple reviewers on Goodreads mention consulting it frequently as a trusted reference, though one called it "impenetrable for beginners." An Amazon reviewer praised its "meticulous attention to detail" while noting it's "not for the faint of heart."

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Rodney Huddleston This 1842-page reference work presents a comprehensive analysis of English grammar using contemporary linguistic frameworks.

A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik This systematic reference grammar explores the principles and patterns of English through detailed structural analysis and examples.

Oxford Modern English Grammar by Bas Aarts This grammar reference incorporates findings from the Survey of English Usage corpus to explain how English works in practice.

The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course by Marianne Celce-Murcia, Diane Larsen-Freeman This text presents grammatical structures through a functional-linguistic approach with pedagogical applications.

Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English by Douglas Biber, Stig Johansson, Geoffrey Leech This corpus-based grammar examines the differences between spoken and written English through statistical analysis of real language use.

🔹 Published in 1972, this groundbreaking work took over 15 years to complete and involved collaboration between four distinguished linguists: Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik. 🔹 Author Randolph Quirk founded the Survey of English Usage in 1959, which created the first computerized database of spoken and written British English, revolutionizing how grammar could be studied. 🔹 The book's comprehensive approach influenced how English grammar is taught worldwide, and it became known as "The Queen of English Grammars" among linguistics scholars. 🔹 The original manuscript was over 1,100 pages long and contained nearly 4,000 example sentences, making it one of the most extensive descriptive grammars ever published at the time. 🔹 A later version, "A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language" (1985), became so influential in academic circles that linguistics scholars often refer to it simply as "Quirk et al." or "The Quirk Grammar."