This groundbreaking undergraduate textbook on modern Standard English grammar is the first to be based on the revolutionary advances of the authors' previous work The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002) The analyses defended there are outlined here more briefly in an engagingly accessible & informal style Errors of the older tradition of English grammar are noted & corrected & the excesses of prescriptive usage manuals are firmly rebutted in specially highlighted notes that explain what older authorities have called 'incorrect' & show why those authorities are mistaken This book is intended for students in colleges or universities who have little or no previous background in grammar & presupposes no linguistics It contains exercises & will provide a basis for introductions to grammar & courses on the structure of English not only in linguistics departments but also in English language & literature departments & schools of education