Book excerpt: Fundamentals of Arabic Grammar provides an authoritative guide to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) grammar. It has been organised to promote a thorough understanding of MSA grammar and presents its complexities in a cohesive and user-friendly format, filling many gaps left by other textbooks. Explanations are clear, full and accessible and extensive cross-referencing, two generous indices and six appendices provide users with easy access to the information they require. No prior knowledge of linguistic terminology is required. Features include: Expert treatment of a full range of grammar topics and structures, including the case system, Idhaafa, the equational sentence, quantifiers and the vocative, generously spread across thirty eight chapters Special attention to parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs and propositions, given at the beginning of the book to acquaint students with the basic units of Arabic and provide a solid foundation for further learning A wide range of contemporary examples drawn from real life to provide solid context to grammar points, further supported by word glosses and idiomatic translations of sentences Grammatical terms given in both Arabic and English A wide variety of supplementary learning resources such as practice sheets, exercises and verb tables available for free download at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415710046/ Substantial bibliography incorporating primary Arabic grammar sources in addition to secondary sources in Arabic and in English Fundamentals of Arabic Grammar has been field tested over a number of years and has been written by a highly experienced teacher of Arabic. It will be an essential resource for students and teachers of Arabic at all university levels and is suitable for use both as a companion reference text in Arabic language courses and as a standalone text in independent grammar classes.