Natural Grammar :
the keywords of English and how they work
by Scott Thornbury
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2004
ISBN: 0 19 438624 4

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Natural Grammar: the keywords of English and how they work
Intermediate to Advanced
From word to phrase to sentence -- the grammar book that builds natural, idiomatic English

How can you use words such as can, get, and would to build your understanding of English, and sound more natural ? Natural Grammar focuses on keywords like these and shows you how to use them in thousands of idiomatic phrases and sentences.
Focus on the keywords:

a double page for every keyword.
• Move on to phrases:
  100 keywords give you 1000s of phrases
  • Create sentences:
    apply the grammar patterns to build natural-sounding language

Plus:

• real examples from corpus research
  • reference section
    • exercises for each keyword
      • language notes

Natural Grammar   -   The natural way to use English

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This book is not written in Basic, but discusses 100 words (2-pages each), 89 of which are Basic. Recommended by an teacher who suggests that a beginning-level version should be written in Basic. -- ed

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Introduction (for students and teachers)

This book is about grammar, but it is organized around words. Why ? Very simply, words have grammar. That is to say when you use a word, you are obliged to choose from the particular grammar patterns associated with that word. Take a word such as for example. The phrase for students and teachers is an example of the common pattern: for + NP. (If you are unsure about these grammar terms, look at the Glossary, p iii.)
but there are other patterns associated with for. For example:
• for | + -ing : You can also use a compass for telling the time.
• for | _ NP | + to-infinitive: I'm waiting for him to call.

So, if you learn the grammar of for, you are learning at least three important grammar patterns in English. (Notice that there are no grammar patterns such as for + to-infinitive, or for + NP + -ing. so you cannot say : I went to London for to see the Queen. These pills are for me helping to sleep.

(more)

Contents

a/an all am/is/are and any as ask at back be been being but by can come could did do/does for get give go going good got had have/has how if in it just keep know let like little long look make may mean more most much my need never no not now of on one or other own place put sky see seem should so some sort start still stop take tell than that the then there thing think this time to too up used very want was/were way well what when who why will work would you

Grammar Index

Here are the keyword entries where you will find information about features of traditional grammar.
articles → a/an, → the
auxiliary verbs → am/is/are, → be, → been, → being, → did, → do/does, → had, → have, → was/were
comparatives → more, → than
. . . (more) (27) . . .

Glossary

adjective : a word like short, red, or exciting, that tells you about the qualities of a person or thing or event.
adverb : a word like .slowly, well, there, etc. which tells you how, where, or when an event happens.
. . .
collocation : the way words typically combine with other words, as in take a break , short hair, or get on with.
. . .
idiom : an expression or collocation whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the individual words that make it up : out of the blue (= unexpectedly) ; take after (=resemble).
. . .
noun phrase (NP) :. a word or group of words consisting of at least a noun or pronoun and which functions like a noun :last night ° your old car ° I ° those big red London buses.
. . . (more) (38) . . .

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a / an

[indefinite article] used with the singular nouns:
(1) to introduce a new person or thing into a text:
An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Australian were on a plane . . .
(2) to show that a person or thing is a member of a group:
Fatima's a Muslim.
(3) to talk generally about a class of things : An octopus has eight legs.

Grammar patterns
1 . NP | + is/was | + a/an | + classifying noun
My flatmate is a Swede.
Jane Austen was an English writer.
The kangaroo is a marsupial.
• for classifying person or thing, e.g. saying what their nationality or job is
2 . NP | + is/was etc. | + a/an | +NP | {+ adverbial}
There is a supermarket next to the station.
There was an immediate reaction.
There was a strange smell in the kitchen.
• for introducing a new topic, e.g. in a description
  (→ there)
3 . (more)
4 . (more)

Collocations
There are many 'verb + noun' combinations beginning
have a . . . or take a . . . . For example :
have a drink, have a bite (to eat), have a lugh, have/take a oook, have a go, have a talk, have a say, have a try, have a ride, have/take a walk, have/take a rest.

Can you take a look at my homework ?
We stopped at a roadside cafe and had a bite to eat.
I had a go on robin's new motorbike.
Everyone should have a say in the peace process.
. . . (more) . . .

Set phrases
• a few / a little / a lot (of) etc. → little
  We had a few friends round for dinner.
  (more)

Exercises

1 . Classify the following animals, using these categories.
fish   bird   reptile   mammal   insect   amphibian

a . A horse is a mammal.
b . A frog is ______ .
c . A fly is ______ .
d . A snake is _______ .
e . A duck is ______ .
f . A whale is ______ .
g . A shark is ______ .
h . An ostrich is ______ .

2 . Choose a job from the list to complete each of the sentences below.
soldier   lawyer   mechanic   architect   cook   teacher   waiter   doctor   taxi-driver
a . She desgins buildings. ~ Oh, so she's __ ______ .
b . Alan fixes cars. ~ So he's __ ______ .
. . . (more) . . .

3 . Remember that a/an is used with countable nouns : tht is, nouns like book, person, and fact. A/an is not usually used with nouns like air, water, information, that are masses, and therfore uncountable. However, many nouns can have beoth countable and uncountable senses, dependingon whether we think of them as units or masses.
Complete these sentences with a/an, but only where necessary :
a . The houses made of __ stone survived the earthquake.
b . Hang on ! I've got __ stone in my shoe.
. . . (more) . . .

4 . To walk refers to walking in general. To have a walk means to experience a single action of walking, from start to finish. Choose the best alternative to complete these sentences :
a. Shall we stop at the next cafe and ______ ?   (drink/have a drink)
b . My parents don't ______ .   (drink/have a drink)
. . . (more) . . .

5 . Match the two parts of the sentences.

I normally go to the dentist once ______	1 . a dozen
These roses cost $20 ______	2 . a litre.
The car was doing 150 kilometres ______	3 . a year.
. . . (more)	8 , an hour.

all

[determiner] the whole number or amount of : She ate all the chocolates. ° The cat drank all the milk.
[pronoun] everything : every single one : All's well that ends well. ° We can all go home.
[adverb] completely : Gavin was all alone. ° The game is all over.

Grammar patterns

Collocations

Set phrases

Exercises

. . . (more) . . .

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Key

answers to exercises   (more)

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