English Grammar: An Introduction

So far we have assumed that everybody knows what a word is. Words are easy enough to identify in written language, since they are conventionally separated by spaces. Indeed, a word is sometimes defined as a unit of language with spaces on either side.

Such a definition is obviously not very satisfactory. It is not applicable to the spoken language, and begs many semantic questions. English, for example, has many PHRASAL VERBS, consisting of a verb plus an adverb, which are synonymous with single-word verbs, as in the sentences below:

Get up and come in are phrasal verbs, each consisting of two words. Occasionally, the single-word verb may consist of the same elements as the phrasal verb, as in the Standard English lift up and Scots uplift. (See also Unit 7.5.)

English also has many COMPOUND words, such as bluebird or motorway or tower block (towerblock? tower-block?), which consist of two or more words joined together. The problem of whether these should be regarded as single words is highlighted by the uncertainty we often feel about their spelling.

There is no real solution to the problem of what constitutes a word in English, but some related issues will be discussed in this unit.