Prerequisite: One course in linguistics or permission of instructor.

Drawing upon syntactic theory, this course builds a picture of English grammar as a system. Language does not simply have a linear (horizontal) structure in which one word ties to the next, but also exhibits a heirarchical structure (metaphorically shown as vertical structure) in which words group into phrases and phrases group into larger phrases and clauses. We examine the major features of English syntax, including parts of speech (e.g., verbs, nouns), the phrases they head (e.g., verb phrases, noun phrases), subordinate clause types and their functions, and the ways that syntax may transform to change meaning (e.g., how the syntax of a question can differ from that of a statement). From time to time, we confront some of the infamous rules of prescriptive grammar (e.g., never end a sentence with a preposition) and consider how these rules may be described under our theory (e.g., the optional transformation of a preposition). This course does not deeply pursue the many debates of how best to represent the syntax of English, but rather outlines one sample set of descriptive rules that language teachers and others might use when thinking about English grammar in a linguistically informed way.