Written primarily for AS and A-Level English courses, but of interest to university students on related courses, this book is designed to make an intuitive understanding of language explicit. By focusing on language use in different contexts, it encourages an investigative and interpretative approach. It provides the core theoretical knowledge required for tackling a wide range of tasks and aims to develop awareness of both the nature and the function of language. This revised edition fine-tunes the content, presentation and style of the previous edition, and offers more scope for active reading and experimentation with practical analysis, more relevant examples and additional material that will appeal to contemporary readers.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations PART I: REFERENCE - THE STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH The Structure of English Phonetics and Phonology Style How to use your knowledge PART II: LANGUAGE ISSUES - ASPECTS OF ENGLISH Some Basic Concepts English: A Living Language Historical Change Language Variation: Regional and Social Child Language - Learning to Talk PART III: VARIETIES - ENGLISH IN USE Spoken English The Language of Newspapers The Language of Advertising The Language of Literature - Narrative Prose The Language of Literature - Poetry The Language of Law The Language of the Church The Language of Politics The Language of Broadcasting The Language of Comedy Other Varieties How to Use Your Knowledge Appendices Index

About the Author

SARA THORNE has many years' experience of teaching English at school and further education level, where she has been responsible for curriculum co-ordination and the development of a range of teaching materials. She is currently an Educational Consultant and LEA English Adviser and is also the author of Mastering Poetry (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005).