A Reference Grammar of Spanish

Description

A Reference Grammar of Spanish is a comprehensive handbook on the structure of the Spanish language. Keeping technical terminology to a minimum, it provides a detailed yet clear point of reference on all the intricacies of Spanish grammar, covering word order, parts of speech, verb use, syntax, gender, number, alphabet, and pronunciation. Accompanied by a wealth of carefully chosen examples, it looks at Spanish in Iberia, the USA, Mexico, and Argentina, and demonstrates the differences between these varieties. It is designed specifically with English-speaking learners in mind, and contains useful tools such as a glossary of terms, an index, and a detailed examination of different registers of the language. Clearly structured and systematically organised, this volume is set to become the standard guide to the grammar of contemporary Spanish, and will be an invaluable resource for teachers and students, as well as a practical supplement to textbooks and classroom study.

R. E. Batchelor taught French and Spanish for 40 years in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Nottingham. His recent publications include A Student Grammar of Spanish (Cambridge, 2006) and Using Spanish, Second Edition (with C. J. Pountain, Cambridge, 2005). Miguel Angel San Jose is affiliated to the Universidad de Valladolid in Spain. His recent publications include Using Spanish Vocabulary (with R. E. Batchelor, Cambridge, 2003).

'A Reference Grammar of Spanish joins the ranks as a well-developed and well-written scholarly reference for researchers, faculty and Spanish language students around the world. It gives the spoken and written varieties among the world's Spanish speakers. A grammar book should not be prescriptive or impose one language variety on another. The role of a comprehensive grammar should be to assess and to analyze what is spoken among constituents, not to gauge against a stand-alone variety. Batchelor and San Jose accomplish their goal well.' The Modern Language Journal