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Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar First Edition

by David Crystal (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 235 ratings
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In Making Sense, David Crystal confronts the foe of many: grammar. Once taught relentlessly to all students in the English-speaking world, grammar disappeared from most school curricula, so that terms such as "preposition" and "conjunction" now often confound children and adults alike.

Explaining the nuts and bolts of grammar presents a special challenge, because - far more than is the case with spelling and punctuation - the subject is burdened with a centuries-old history of educational practice that many will recall as anything but glamorous. One of the world's foremost authorities on the English language, Crystal sets out to rid grammar of its undeserved reputation as a dry and intimidating subject, pointing out how essential grammar is to clear and effective speech and writing. He moves briskly through the stages by which children acquire grammar, along the way demystifying grammar's rules and irregularities and showing us how to navigate its snares and pitfalls. He offers the fascinating history of grammar, explaining how it has evolved from the first grammarians in ancient Greece to our 21st century digital environment of blogging, emailing, and texting.

Many find grammar to be a daunting subject, but in this breezy, entertaining book, Crystal proves that grammar doesn't need to make us uneasy-we can all make sense of how we make sense.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0190660570
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0190660574
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 1, 2017
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    8.5 x 5.51 x 0.69 inches
  8. Print length
    304 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A celebrated historian of the English language takes us on an entertaining stroll through the history of our grammar--from the beginning to last week. Throughout, the author is a gifted, agile, and amusing teacher."--Kirkus

"[David Crystal's] goal is not to flex his language knowledge, but to help clean up all the mess that prescriptive grammar teaching has caused... Crystal is on point."--Popmatters

"A surprisingly entertaining historical and scholarly tour of the mechanics of English... [Making Sense is a] masterly telling of why a living language's grammar, like its vocabulary, is not only unfinished, it is unfinishable. One could not have a more genial guide for such a tour."--New York Times Book Review

"For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas... Essential."--CHOICE Reviews

"For those new to grammar, Crystal's systematic, avuncular exposition painlessly introduces concepts, keywords, and grammatical reasoning. For aficionados, Crystal provides depth and perspective--and for teachers new ideas. The book first introduces parts of speech, clauses, and grammatical functions by tracing the language development of Crystal's daughter. Next comes a set of chapters on the role of grammar in communication and the importance of semantics and context. Crystal rounds out the book by discussing grammar change (and resistance to change) and the educational consequences of do-as-I-say-ism. Many chapters offers interludes, as the author calls them, in which the history of grammar and grammar teaching are brought to life. Making Sense ends with a summary of ten principles about grammar--not grammar rules but rather key ideas that encapsulate Crystal's view of grammar as an intellectual enterprise--along with an appendix on grammar teaching and testing." --Choice

"Crystal is the rock star of English linguistics studies, a writer and editor of more than 100 books targeted to both academics and civilians... Lucky for us, he writes with wit and charm, and is at home contextualizing language in the time of the Greeks as well as in the era of texting."--Journal of Magazine Media

About the Author

David Crystal is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He is the author of dozens of books on language, including The Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation, The Story of English in 100 Words, Spell It Out: The Curious, Enthralling and Extraordinary Story of English Spelling, and Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (June 1, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0190660570
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0190660574
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 5.51 x 0.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 235 ratings

About the author

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David Crystal

David Crystal

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David Crystal is honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has written or edited over 100 books and published numerous articles for scholarly, professional, and general readerships, in fields ranging from forensic linguistics and ELT to the liturgy and Shakespeare. His many books include Words, Words, Words (OUP 2006) and The Fight for English (OUP 2006).

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4.5 out of 5 stars
235 global ratings

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Customers find the book engaging and thoroughly enjoyable, appreciating its rich and subtle approach to English grammar.

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8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and thoroughly enjoyable, describing it as a good-natured read.

"...Gracefully written, and detailed enough to provide real information without outliving the welcome of any single subject." Read more

"...can read the books of author, the first is spell it out, this book is also pretty well...." Read more

"...It is all very interesting, at least to anyone who is interested in the way our language works...." Read more

"fascinating in the way it makes you aware of how you write and use English. Well worth the money and time to read it." Read more

3 customers mention "Grammar"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's approach to English grammar, noting its richness and subtlety, with one customer highlighting how it effectively demolishes traditional approaches.

"...the ability to communicate (truly a remarkable achievement), the history of grammar and the remarkable centuries when the field was totally..." Read more

"This book very effectively demolishes the traditional approach to English grammar, then replaces it with something less precise, and more difficult..." Read more

"Good natured, very clear, very step-by-step...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • William D. Iverson
    5.0 out of 5 stars You'll enjoy language more for reading this
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Who would have believed it? Grammar is interesting, and fun. David Crystal cycles through a number of approaches to the subject -- how children acquire the ability to communicate (truly a remarkable achievement), the history of grammar and the remarkable centuries when the field was totally dominated by "experts" flogging an entirely wrong-headed insistence that English grammar should be just like Latin grammar, the battle between prescriptive grammar (don't split that infinitive) and descriptive grammar (everyone else does, so I will if I want to), and evolving trends in usage in the 21st Century. Gracefully written, and detailed enough to provide real information without outliving the welcome of any single subject.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • hanli
    5.0 out of 5 stars I learn “English ”again by craystal.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    As a failure chinese English learner, I ‘m so happy i can read the books of author, the first is spell it out, this book is also pretty well. My English teacher of China just told me grammar, but author taught me grammar
    One person found this helpful
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  • Anne Mills
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Title Sums it Up
    Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book very effectively demolishes the traditional approach to English grammar, then replaces it with something less precise, and more difficult to grasp. That's unavoidable, since Crystal's emphasis is on the evolution of the study of grammar., which has changed radically over the last 50 years. He defines grammar as "the study of the way we bring words together in order to make sense". He traces the evolution of the study of grammar from the Greeks and Romans through the medieval period, up to the effort to codify English grammar in the early modern era. And here, Crystal argues, is where the study of English grammar went off track. The grammarians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries based their analysis of English grammar on the workings of Latin grammar, and the two are very, very different. The result was a rules-based, highly artificial system which pulled against much of the underlying tendency of the language. In the 1960's and 1970's, this became clear, and the formal study of English grammar went out the window. Now, Crystal shows, it is coming back, but in a far less rigid and regular form.

    The book is far more down to earth, and readable, than this lightning tour would suggest. Crystal uses language acquisition in children (one child, to be precise, chatty little Suzie) to explore the structures of English grammar. He looks at the was grammar has been taught, and the wars between prescriptivists and descriptivists. He looks at how English functions in various contexts and various countries. It is all very interesting, at least to anyone who is interested in the way our language works. It does not leave the reader with a firm sense of where grammar stands at present, which is a bit of a disappointment to one who grew up in a rules-based grammatical world. But is does show the richness and subtlety of English grammar.
    27 people found this helpful
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  • Edward Day
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    fascinating in the way it makes you aware of how you write and use English. Well worth the money and time to read it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Davol2449
    5.0 out of 5 stars ... everything he publishes deserves to be read and thoroughly enjoyed.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    David Crystal is such an engaging writer that everything he publishes deserves to be read and thoroughly enjoyed.
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  • Antonio Garcia Padilla
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book. A ease to read grammar book
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  • lilychrystie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good natured, very clear, very step-by-step.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Good natured, very clear, very step-by-step. You have to be a grammar/language fan, and have to be willing to be taken along from the beginning (on every point) but he moves quickly. Informative, often fascinating.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Patricia T. Cousey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    interesting book. was what I expected.
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  • L2english
    5.0 out of 5 stars 商品の状態がきれい
    Reviewed in Japan on May 12, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    きれいな状態で届きました
    Report
  • Claudia Cantaluppi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastico
    Reviewed in Italy on February 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Come tuti i libri di Crystal, anche questo riesce a spiegare faccende apparentemente difficili in maniera semplice, argutae appassionante. La grammatica inglese viene esplorata per come funziona, per come si apprende, per cosa serve e per come se n'è sviluppato lo studio nei secoli. L'approccio è rigoroso ma divulgativo. Consigliato a tutti gli appassionati della lingua inglese.
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  • Submerged
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ok
    Reviewed in India on March 18, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Ok.
    Report
  • Elizabeth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Schöne Einführung in die Linguistik!!
    Reviewed in Germany on September 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Habe das Buch auf Empfehlung einer Dozentin aus der Uni gekauft. Das Buch ist so eine Art Zwischending aus wissenschaftlich und erzählerisch fesselnd. Der Autor beschreibt anhand seiner eigenen Tochter, wie wir die Welt wahrnehmen und Sprache erlernen. So beschreibt er beispielsweise, wie seine Tochter das Wort "und" (bzw. "and") entdeckte und recht plötzlich endlose Satzkonstruktionen formen konnte - solche Anekdoten bleiben im Gedächtnis ;-)

    Kann das Buch wirklich jedem empfehlen, der sich gern mit Sprache beschäftigt. Sowohl Experten als auch Laien können dem Buch viel abgewinnen. Top!
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  • JL York
    5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Pragmatic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is an insightful and pragmatic approach to grammar. Do you expect any less from this prolific author, who amongst many other achievements has reconstructed the speech of the 16th century and used it to record Tyndale's translation of the Gospel of Matthew. But I'll keep using the gerund MY WAY.
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