Book excerpt: Andrew Radford's new textbook is principally for students with little or no background in syntax who need a lively and up-to-date introduction to contemporary work on transformational grammar. It covers four main topics - the goals of linguistic theory, syntactic structure, the nature and role of the lexicon, and the function of transformations and the principles governing their application. The framework takes into account the major works such as Chomsky's Knowledge of Language and Barriers written since the publication of Radford's widely acclaimed Transformational Syntax in 1981. Not only does the present book use a more recent theoretical framework, but at the descriptive level it covers a wider range of constructions and rules than its predecessor. Andrew Radford is well known for his effective pedagogical approach, and in this book even more care has been devoted to providing a sympathetic and non-technical introduction to the field. At the end of each chapter are exercises which reinforce the text, enable students to apply the various concepts, etc. discussed, or encourage them to look more critically at some of the assumptions and analyses presented. The book also has a detailed bibliographical background section and an extensive bibliography which will be a useful source of reference to the primary literature. Although intended principally as a coursebook for students of syntax or English grammar, Transformational Grammar will be invaluable to any reader who needs a straightforward and comprehensive introduction to the latest developments in this field.