This reference grammar provides, for the first time, a description of the grammar of Mandarin Chinese, the official spoken language of China and Taiwan, in functional terms, focusing on the role and meanings of word-level and sentence-level structures in actual conversations.

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar is an innovative reference guide to Mandarin Chinese, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. Divided into two sections closely linked by extensive cross-references, it covers: traditional grammatical categories such as phrase order, nouns, verbs and specifiers language functions and notions such as communication strategies, giving and seeking information, expressing apologies, regrets and sympathies. With all grammar points and functions richly illustrated with examples, and a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, the main features of this Grammar include examples in simplified characters, traditional characters, and romanization (Pinyin) as well as an emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for learners of Mandarin Chinese. This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of Mandarin Chinese at all levels, from elementary to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is assumed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided. Featuring related exercises and activities, this Grammar is accompanied by the Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook.

This book investigates historical motivations for the emergence of the resultative construction in Chinese from the following four aspects: (a) disyllabification, (b)adjacent context, (c) semantic integrity, and (d) frequency of co-occurence of a pair of verb and resultative. The author also addresses a series of grammatical changes and innovations caused by the formation of this resultative construction, such as the development of aspect, mood, verb reduplication, the new predicate structure, the disposal construction, the passive construction, the verb copying construction, and the new topicalization construction, all of which together shape the grammatical system of Modern Chinese. The present analysis raises and discusses a number of theoretical issues that are meaningful to various linguistic disciplines like pragmatics, discourse analysis, grammaticalization, and general historical linguistics.

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, third edition, is an innovative reference guide to Mandarin Chinese, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. The Grammar is divided into two parts. Part A covers traditional grammar points such as phrase order, and the structure of noun phrases and verb phrases. Part B is carefully organized around language functions and situations such as: • Asking questions • Communication strategies • Making comparisons • Giving orders and making requests • Expressing apologies, regrets, and sympathy The two parts of the Grammar are closely linked by extensive cross-references, providing a grammatical and functional perspective on many patterns. The Grammar is coordinated with the Workbook, which provides grammar-focused and situation-focused exercises to facilitate practice and reinforce language use. All grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples presented in simplified and traditional characters and Pinyin romanization, with a strong emphasis on contemporary usage. This third edition includes new sections on character structure, social media, speaker perspective, and more, as well as updated illustrative sentences and an expanded index. Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar is ideal for all learners of Mandarin Chinese, from beginner to intermediate and advanced students.

This reference grammar provides a description of Mandarin Chinese in familiar terms and enables the English-speaking reader to transfer his/her knowledge of English to the study of Chinese. Many of the unique features of the language are treated through a comparison with semantically corresponding, though syntactically different, features in English. Aside from the conventional types of sentences, special constructions are amply explained and illustrated for the reader. Understanding the specific meaning of each of these constructions is one of the central themes of the grammar. This book contains a number of original analyses, such as that of the -shi---de- construction and the notion of continuum for the indiscrete nature of linguistic structure, which should serve as a valuable reference source for both the language teacher and the profession of Chinese linguistics."

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook is a book of exercises and language tasks for all learners of Mandarin Chinese. Divided into two sections, the Workbook initially provides exercises based on essential grammatical structures, and moves on to practice everyday functions such as making introductions, apologizing and expressing needs. With an extensive answer key at the back to enable students to check on their progress, main features include: exercises at various levels of challenge for a broad range of learners cross-referencing to the related Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar a comprehensive index to exercises alphabetically arranged in terms of structures, functions, and key Chinese structure vocabulary. This second edition also offers a revised and expanded selection of exercises including new task-based exercises. Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook is ideal for all learners of Mandarin Chinese, from beginner to intermediate and advanced students. It can be used both independently and alongside the Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar (978-0-415-82714-0), which is also published by Routledge.