Remember all those grammar rules from school? No? Most of us don’t. Mike McCarthy, renowned corpus linguist and co-author of the 900-page Cambridge Grammar of English answers the awkward questions that regularly bother us about English grammar. In this helpful A-Z field guide, McCarthy tells us what the conventional rules are as well as shows us what people are writing or saying now and gives simple reasons why you might choose one or the other so that you can speak and write with confidence.

Through witty and entertaining examples pulled from 50 years of teaching, 40 years of field notes picked from books, newspapers, letters, radio and TV, etc., and shamelessly eavesdropping on people’s conversations in public spaces, and a British and American English computer database, McCarthy has created a book to browse and enjoy, as well as a useful reference to keep on your bookshelf.

Why a Field Guide to grammar?
– A to Z format makes it easy to access and to find what you’re looking for
– Presents solutions to a host of common, everyday grammatical problems
– References current events to bring relevance to the grammar (fronted adverbials anyone?)
– Looks at historical usage to illustrate how the English language has evolved, and continues to evolve
– Gives guidance on appropriate usage where more than one way of saying something exists
– Distinguishes between spoken and written grammar where appropriate
– includes advice on vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, punctuation and style
– Compares North American and British grammar, and includes Englishes from around the world
– Charming drawings to illustrate the playfulness in the English language
– Grammar guide backed by data and research

True to the Chambers name, this field guide is as much quirky as it is informative. It is the perfect gift for any language lover, student, teacher, struggling parent or carer supporting their child’s schooling, the grammar purist or the grammar descriptivist.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES SOCIETY & WHITE HORSE BOOKSHOP LITERARY PRIZE

‘Lovely: full of fascinating detail and anecdote, but the undertow of the virus moving in real time beneath its sunlit surface gives it a unique emotional heft.’
–The Times

‘A literary window into the wonderful wild world during lockdown… a charming book.’
–Daily Mail

‘An entrancing testament to nature’s power to restore us to ourselves.’
-Ruth Padel

Nature took on a new importance for many people when the coronavirus pandemic arrived, providing solace in a time of great anxiety – not least because the crisis struck at the beginning of spring, the season of light, growth, rebirth and renewal.

Three writers, close friends but living in widely separated, contrasting parts of the country, resolved to record their experiences of this extraordinary spring in intimate detail, to share with others their sense of the wonder, inspiration and delight the natural world can offer.

The Consolation of Nature is the story of what they discovered by literally walking out from their front doors.