The Uses of Grammar
by Judith Rodby, W. Ross Winterowd
Category: Grammar, Comparative and general

In this second edition of THE USES OF GRAMMAR, Judith Rodby and W. Ross Winterowd develop their successful first edition with new examples, more discussion questions and exercises, and clear explanations of the grammatical principles that teach students to understand grammar conceptually and deeply. The first edition has been completely redesigned visually to enhance learning and retention. Rodby and Winterowd's THE USES OF GRAMMAR 2E is an accessible approach grounded in deep understanding of language acquisition, structure, and even the rhetoric of everyday use. THE USES OF GRAMMAR 2E integrates traditional, structural, and functional concepts with ideas from contemporary linguistics and grammatical study. Rather than simply partition the study of grammar from the bottom up-from the parts to the whole-Rodby and Winterowd employ a unique structure based on the differentiation of FORM and FUNCTION. This structure is framed around three questions: What are the forms in the grammar of American English? How do those forms function in that grammar? How are they used in real-life speaking and writing to achieve specific purposes? Students may learn, for example, how a variety of FORMS (including nouns, pronouns, verbals, and clauses) can all FUNCTION as nominals. This form/function approach ensures that students learn the uses of grammar as both an object of study and as the living text of social interaction. - THE USES OF GRAMMAR thus uses living language to illustrate the practical applications of grammar in our lives. These examples are drawn from a wide variety of sources-newspapers, magazines, books, and the writings of undergraduate students--and from such writers and speakers as Ronald Reagan, Shirley Chisholm, Groucho Marx, Mark Twain, and Jane Addams. Class-tested and refined to be student- and instructor-friendly, THE USES OF GRAMMAR 2E also features "For Discussion" sections that enhance students' understanding of the principles covered in the text and encourage classroom discussion. "Using Grammar" sections show students how to think about grammar's function in social relations. "Language Learning" sections summarize critical concepts. Chapter Previews and Chapter Reviews help students anticipate the new principles, rules, and concepts to follow and reinforce learning. Exercises ask students to rehearse new learning, and Challengers ask them to apply this learning to broader issues or more complex problems. - JUDITH RODBY joined the faculty at California State University, Chico in 1989 after finishing her PhD in the rhetoric, linguistics, and literature program at the University of Southern California. She has been the composition coordinator, writing center director, and coordinator of basic writing. She is currently working primarily in the field of English education and is coordinator for the National Writing Project's National Reading Initiative. She has published in composition, ESL, youth development, and English education. - W. Ross Winterowd was the Bruce R. McElderry Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California, where he founded its PhD program in Rhetoric, Linguistics, and Literature. He authored, coauthored, or edited many essays, reviews, poems, and books, including SEARCHING FOR FAITH: A SKEPTIC'S JOURNEY (2004, Parlor Press), SENIOR CITIZENS WRITING (2007, Parlor Press), THE CULTURE AND POLITICS OF LITERACY (1989, Oxford), and ATTITUDES: SELECTED PROSE AND POETRY (2010, Parlor Press). In 2010, he received the field's highest honor, the Exemplar Award, from the Conference on College Composition and Communication. He passed away in January, 2011, shortly after completing work on THE USES OF GRAMMAR.