High School English Grammar and Composition

PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION
Wren and Martin's monumental work High School English Grammar and Composition now appears in two editions. One is a de luxe edition, illustrated in full-colour, and the other is an ordinary edition without illustrations.

The material in the book has been further updated where called for. It has been felt necessary in particular to revise some material in the chapters dealing with adjectives, active and passive voice, articles and prepositions. Appendix I, which deals with American English, has been expanded. Appendix II has been replaced with a newer set of tests covering the important areas of grammar.

It was in the year 1972 that the shrewd visionary Mr. Shyam Lai Gupta obtained the permission of Manecji Cooper Education Trust for the revision of this book and commissioned me to revise it thoroughly. The revised edition came out in 1973 and was well received. One of the main features of the revised edition was the addition of a great deal of new material (such as the three chapters on structures) based on the new developments in the study of English structure and usage. Subsequently the book was revised every four or five years and most extensively in 1999.

Unlike many traditional grammar books, the book in the present form helps the student to use the language as well as giving detailed information about the language. It provides ample guidance and practice in sentence building, correct usage, comprehension, written composition and other allied areas so as to equip the student with the ability to communicate effectively in English.

It is gratifying to learn that this classic work, though primarily intended for use in the Indian subcontinent, is also used in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, etc. It is hoped that the book will be found useful in many more countries where English is used as a second or foreign language.