About this item
Many students of English as a second language are daunted by the complexities of English grammar and its terminology. This user-friendly book was written especially for them. The emphasis here is on practical use of written and spoken American-style English, rather than on theory. The first of the book's 15 chapters explains different kinds of sentences--affirmative, negative, and interrogative, as well as clauses and phrases that are component parts of many sentences. Several chapters that follow focus on different parts of speech, describing their uses in verbal and written communication. The book's later chapters discuss vocabulary, standard protocols in conversational speech, and modes of expression, such as preferences and dislikes. A separate chapter presents guidelines for composing letters, e-mails, r©sum©s, and other written forms. Short quizzes for self-testing appear throughout the text, with answers given at the back of the book.
About the Author
Professor Marcel Danesi, PhD. is a Professor and undergraduate coordinator in the Department of Semeiotics and Communication, and Anthropology at Victoria College in the University of Toronto. He also holds an appointment at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) as a professor and researcher in bilingual education, and is a director at the Research in Forensic Semiotics (RIFS) Unit at Victoria College. Previously, he has held positions at Rutgers University, University of Rome, and the Catholic University of Milan, and the University of Lugano. Professor Danesi is interested in the ancientness of puzzles and their use in cultures and role in human affairs as tests of intelligence; and popular culture and how they inform social evolution. In addition to teaching, he is an author and editor, having penned several textbooks and books that have been featured in the New York Times, and Toronto Star, including the best-seller The Puzzle Instinct: The Meaning of Puzzles in Human Life. In 1998, Professor Danesi was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
