Aims and level

Grammatical descriptions of English which are addressed to learners are often oversimplified and inaccurate This is the inevitable result of lack of time in the classroom and lack of space in course books and practice books Badly expressed and inaccurate rules, in turn, become enshrined in grammar books directed at teachers and students The misrepresentation of English grammar gives a false view of the language, perpetuates inaccurate 'rules', and results in errors in communication It is against this background that the Longman English Grammar has been written

The primary aim of this book is to present a manageable coverage of grammar at intermediate and advanced levels, which will serve two purposes

1 To present information which can be consulted for reference

2 To suggest the range of structures that a student would need to be familiar with receptively and (to a lesser extent) productively to be able to communicate effectively

In other words, the book aims to be a true pedagogical grammar for everyone concerned with English as a foreign language It attempts to provide reasonable answers to reasonable questions about the workings of the language and to define what English as a Foreign Language is in terms of grammar

Rationale

Many learners approach the study of English already in possession of a fair knowledge of the grammar of their own languages They are the product of their own learning traditions, which have often equipped them with a 'grammatical consciousness' Native-speaking teachers of English gradually acquire the grammatical consciousness of their students through the experience of teaching, so that they, too, learn 'English as a foreign language' This book assumes the existence of such a consciousness The grammar has been written, as it were, through the eyes of the user It has been informed by the common errors made by learners and as a result has been written as precisely as possible for their requirements This awareness of the learner will be apparent in the way the book has been organized and written, and in the use of technical terms