NOTE: This Books a la Carte edition features the same content as the traditional text in a convenient, three-hole-punched, loose-leaf version. Books a la Carte also offer a great value; this format costs significantly less than a new textbook. Before purchasing, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN.

An accessible introduction to the structure of English, general theories in linguistics, and important issues in sociolinguistics How English Works is an engaging introductory language/linguistics textbook that provides more extensive coverage of issues of particular interest to English majors and future English instructors. It invites you to connect academic linguistics to the everyday use of the English language. The book’s approach taps into your natural curiosity about the English language. Through exercises and discussion questions about ongoing changes in English, this text asks you to become an active participant in the construction of linguistic knowledge.