Table Of ContentGrammar, Meaning, and Concepts
Grammar, Meaning, and Concepts: A Discourse-Based Approach to English Grammar is
a book for language teachers and learners that focuses on the meanings of grammatical
constructions within discourse, rather than on language as structure governed by rigid
rules. This text emphasizes the ways in which users of language construct meaning, express
viewpoints, and depict imageries using the conceptual, meaning-filled categories that underlie
all of grammar. Written by a team of authors with years of experience teaching grammar to
future teachers of English, this book puts grammar in the context of real language and
illustrates grammar in use through an abundance of authentic data examples. Each chapter
also provides a variety of activities that focus on grammar, genre, discourse, and meaning,
which can be used as they are or can be adapted for classroom practice. The activities are also
designed to raise awareness about discourse, grammar, and meaning in all facets of everyday
life, and can be used as springboards for upper high school, undergraduate, and graduate level
research projects and inquiry-based grammatical analysis. Grammar, Meaning, and Concepts is an
ideal textbook for those in the areas of teacher education, discourse analysis, applied linguistics,
second language teaching, ESL, EFL, and communications who are looking to teach and learn
grammar from a dynamic perspective.
Susan Strauss is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and Asian Studies at Pennsylvania
State University, USA. Her research interests center on the interface of discourse, cognition,
interaction, and culture, often from a cross-linguistic/cross-cultural perspective. She is co-author
of Discourse Analysis: Putting Our Worlds Into Words (Routledge, 2014).
Parastou Feiz is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of English at
California State University, San Bernardino, USA. Her research focuses on comparative analyses
of grammatical structures across languages, particularly Persian and English. She is co-author of
Discourse Analysis: Putting Our Worlds Into Words (Routledge, 2014).
Xuehua Xiang is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at
the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. Her research focuses on using empirical lenses, such
as discourse analysis, corpus tools, and cognitive-functional perspectives to study the interaction
of language, culture, and communication.
Grammar, Meaning,
and Concepts
A Discourse-Based Approach to
English Grammar
Susan Strauss, Parastou Feiz,
and Xuehua Xiang
First published 2018
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Susan Strauss, Parastou Feiz and Xuehua Xiang to be identified as authors
of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
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any errors or omissions, and these will be corrected in subsequent editions.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Strauss, Susan G., author. | Feiz, Parastou, author. | Xiang, Xuehua,
1976– author.
Title: Grammar, meaning, and concepts : a discourse-based approach to
English grammar / Susan Strauss, Parastou Feiz and Xuehua Xiang.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, [2018] | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017052956 | ISBN 9781138785267 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781138785274 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781317665045 (epub) |
ISBN 9781317665038 (mobipocket/kindle)
Subjects: LCSH: English language—Discourse analysis. | English language—
Grammar. | Semantics.
Classification: LCC PE1422 .S77 2018 | DDC 425—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017052956
ISBN: 978-1-138-78526-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-78527-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-76797-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Galliard
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
This book is dedicated to the memory of Noriko Akatsuka
(1937–2016). Noriko’s influence abounds in how we and our
students view language, grammar, and discourse.
Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Meaning Beyond Syntax: Discourse and Conceptualization 1
2 The Nuts and Bolts of Grammar 6
3 The Basic Grammar for Mentioning People, Ideas, Values, Objects,
Concepts, and Things: Nouns and Their Meanings in Discourse 48
4 Referring to, Identifying, Specifying, Underspecifying, Possessing,
and Quantifying Things, People, and Ideas in Discourse: Determiners 78
5 Alternate Ways to Identify, Specify, Underspecify, Focus On, and
Quantify Things, People, and Ideas in Discourse: Pronouns 118
6 The Grammar of Events, States, Identities, Actions, Power,
Control, and Spontaneity in Discourse: Verbs 143
7 The Grammar of Time, Fact, Habit, Changeability, Permanence,
Sequence, and Relevance in Discourse: Tense and Aspect 177
8 The Grammar of Directives, Permissions, Obligations, Opinions,
and Mitigations: Imperatives and Modals 219
9 The Grammar of Agency, Control, Responsibility, Passivity, Non-
Agency, and Non-Accountability: Voice 264
10 The Grammar of Juxtaposing, Contrasting, Denying, Excluding,
Contradicting, and Reversing: Negation 289
11 The Grammar of Inquiry and Apparent Inquiry in Discourse:
Yes-No Questions, Wh- Questions, Alternative or Choice
Questions, and Tag Questions 324
viii Contents
12 The Grammar of Situating Entities in Space, Time, and
Abstractness, Hanging On, Burning Up, and Cooling Down:
Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs 352
13 The Exquisite Grammar of Descriptions—Being Bellicose or
Bubbly, Feckless, or Fearless: Adjectives 403
14 The Grammar of Connecting, Adding, Conjoining, Contrasting,
Indicating Alternatives, and Expressing Stance: Conjunctions 437
15 The Grammar of Exquisitely Evoking Events, How Things
Happen, When Things Happen, If Things Happen, and How We
Portray Such Views in Discourse: Adverbs 453
Index 471
Illustrations
IllustrationsIllustrations
Figures
1.1 “How I spent my summer vacation” 1
1.2 “Just bark. The app automatically translates it to English!” 4
2.1 “The first human was cloned in 2002. When he found out, he was beside
himself.” 6
2.2 “More walking, less flying.” 32
3.1 “I’m taking an innovative approach to teaching this semester.
I’m using books!” 48
3.2 Conceptual meaning—Type 1 54
3.3 Conceptual meaning—Type 2 56
3.4 A strawberry/one strawberry/red, ripe strawberries (Type 1) 62
3.5 Strawberry jam (Type 2) 62
3.6 Coffee (Type 2). General term, concept, ingredient, flavor. 63
3.7 Coffees (Type 1). Coffee in cups, various styles of serving. 63
3.8 Foregrounds the UNIT as a whole (Type 3a). Takes SINGULAR verb form. 65
3.9 Foregrounds the MEMBERS (Type 3b). Takes PLURAL verb form. 65
3.10 “A good retirement fund should include bones, rawhide, beefy treats, a few
toys and an assortment of kitchen trash.” 71
4.1 “Don’t slice the pizza. My diet says I’m only allowed to eat one piece!” 78
4.2 “This light warns you that your battery may be critically low. And this light
warns you that your conversation may be critically dull.” 94
4.3 “Nurses work 12 hours a day: 4 hours caring for patients and 8 hours
washing our hands.” 112
5.1 “IPOD/YOUPOD/WEPOD/THEYPOD” 118
5.2 “. . . and that’s why you need to raise my allowance!” 137
6.1 “I love you and enjoy our time together, but I’m still young and I’ve decided
to start seeing other bears.” 143
6.2 “What cellphone service are you using? It sounds like you’re talking
under water!” 166
6.3 Icon meaning “Walk Your Bike” 169
6.4 Sign, “Shuffle Your Feet for Stingrays.” 170
7.1 “When you’re trying to fall asleep, does it ever feel like your thumbs are still
texting?” 177
8.1 “Employees must wash hands” 219
8.2 “Don’t spend more than you earn” 226
8.3 Gradience in meanings for deontic modals 233
8.4 Gradience in meanings for epistemic modals 235
