Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Can learning grammar be instructive and entertaining? To anyone who has encountered the Grammar Geek, the answer is a resounding well, of course it can! Denis Lacroix is a student from Quebec who is working for the summer as a waiter at the Banff Springs Hotel in the Rocky Mountains. Paul Syme is an English linguistics professor who engages Denis in a conversation about language while relaxing in the hotel’s lounge one afternoon. Through a series of daily lessons, Denis learns from Mr. Syme, a.k.a. the Grammar Geek, how to become more accurate in the following areas:

- The past, present, future, and perfect verb forms

- The modals can, could, may, might, must, etc.

- Adjectives, adverbs and word order

- Nouns and pronouns

- The Genitive

- Determiners

- Prepositions and phrasal verbs

- Conditionals

- Active and passive voice

- Sentence structure

Rather than present grammar in a dull and flavorless way, the Geek shows Denis the path to grammatical wisdom with meaningful examples and relevant comparisons to French. Through their conversations, Denis is exposed to the mistakes that Francophones tend to make and the reasons underlying these mistakes. He also realizes that when grammar is taught in an understandable and humorous manner, learning it can be rewarding and actually fun – yes … fun! Included in the book is a variety of practice exercises including gap-fill, multiple choice, translation and contextualization.