Living English [antikvár]

Introduction The emphasis throughout this book is on the living aspects of English. At times, in order to explain its present vitality, it has been necessary to look briefly at its origins and to examine in detail its current forms. The language is constantly developing, changing, and adapting to new ideas and fashions; similarly the study of English is constantly growing, revising its approaches, and modifying its conclusions. The study of the English language is complex and not the least difficulty in writing this book was that of deciding how much traditional description to retain and how much new terminology to use. Certainly the newest approaches to areas such as Composition, Comprehension, Summary, and Directed Writing are included and there are sections on Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation which set out to describe current modern usage. These sections should provide clear and full accounts for easy reference. The book is intended to help candidates prepare for public examinations such as GCE, CSE, 16+ and Commercial and Technical Certificates. It will also prove useful, too, for the general reader who wishes to have available an easy reference book for grammatical, punctuation, and spelling usage. Sections at the ends of chapters provide some exercises for students who wish to reinforce their knowledge and develop their control over the language. Throughout current usage has been the final referee as well as the rule-maker. Throughout the preparation of this book my wife, Mary-Lou, has contin-ually given her encouragement and support. I am also deeply grateful to Mrs Daphne Meeking who gave unstintingly of her help in typing the final script. Sunbury-on- Thames, 1983 R A Banks