The Grammar of English Grammars

English grammar becomes a matter of practice as well as theory in Goold Brown's extensive reference work. Rules, definitions and explanations sit alongside parsing exercises, passages for correction and questions for examination. Brown explains in his preface that he expanded an earlier school manual through years of further study, adding examples and arguments about points on which teachers disagreed. His aim is to make grammatical principles familiar enough to guide speech and writing as they take shape.

The detailed treatment of infinitives shows his method at work. Brown sorts their uses into categories, compares examples from literary and biblical sources, and considers expressions that resist a simple classification. Readers interested in the history of language education can see how he builds a case for correct usage through quotation, analysis and repeated exercises. The combination of instruction and criticism also gives the book a place as a record of debates over English grammar.