2007 Graduate Entrance Exam English Grammar Breakthrough

Author: Hu Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: English learning can never be detached from fundamentals, and grammar constitutes a crucial part of these fundamentals. Although the postgraduate English examination no longer includes purely grammar-focused sections, with only the "English Knowledge Application" question explicitly testing grammar, the indirect and deep-seated assessment of grammar is ubiquitous. It is well-known that the postgraduate entrance exam for English is challenging, and the requirements for grammar are even higher. All language skills demand a solid foundation in grammar, requiring candidates to use grammatical knowledge accurately and proficiently. Therefore, not only should grammar fundamentals not be weakened, but they should instead be strengthened urgently. However, many candidates make a mistake during preparation by focusing on specific question types while neglecting the review of fundamental knowledge, driven by a desire for quick success, which often leads to difficulties and hinders progress. It can be said that studying without a foundation is like drawing water from a well without a source or planting a tree without roots. "How can the pool be so clear? Because it draws from the living spring." According to the general principles of English learning, if candidates can strengthen their internal skills and solidify their language foundation, it truly signifies an enhancement in ability, allowing them to remain victorious regardless of how the exam changes. Therefore, candidates should not abandon the root for the branch but trace back to the source, not just douse the boiling pot but remove the heat from the bottom. There are countless postgraduate English preparation books available, but none focus solely on grammar for the exam. This book is written in response to the needs of candidates, drawing on the author's years of experience in learning, teaching, and researching English, with the aim of helping candidates fundamentally solve language problems, enhance their strength, and pave the way for success in the exam. This book successfully achieves the following five unifications:
1. Grammar Explanation and Postgraduate Entrance Exam Questions Unified: All examples in the book are derived from exam questions, extracting the linguistic essence from past postgraduate entrance exam papers and systematically summarizing them. Review is the best prospect; studying this book allows candidates to fully immerse themselves in the language of the exam questions. Based on actual exam questions, the book omits linguistic phenomena rarely tested in the exam and avoids overly simplistic rules. Each chapter covers key and challenging points of the postgraduate English exam.
2. Morphology and Syntax Unified: Morphology is micro-grammar. For words, it is not enough to know their pronunciation, spelling, and meaning; one must also grasp their collocations, modifications, references, and logical relationships with other words, i.e., interword relationships. Only by understanding the interword relationships of a word can one truly master and skillfully use it. Syntax is macro-grammar, primarily involving the arrangement of sentence structures, the coherence, combination, connection, and logical relationships between sentences. English expresses content through form. Every sentence uses specific sentence patterns, and many sentences with parallel or subordinate relationships are combined into complex structures through connecting devices. Morphology is the rule of word choice, while syntax is the rule of sentence construction. The most versatile verbs, highly polyvalent prepositions and adverbs, and various idiomatic expressions are the focus of the morphology section, while conjunctions, clauses, comparative sentence patterns, and other common sentence structures are the core of the syntax section.
3. Normativity and Flexibility of Language Unified: English expression cannot be arbitrary; it must conform to linguistic habits and grammatical requirements. At the same time, English also has a degree of flexibility. Some expressions are not mandatory but lead to the same outcome. This book is not rigidly bound by traditional rules but faithfully reflects the actual use of language and provides various alternative expressions.
4. Theory and Practice Unified: Beyond the explanations in each chapter are "Classic Exam Questions" related to the content of the chapter, divided into subjective and objective types. Objective questions are multiple-choice, while subjective questions are English-Chinese translation. These are two question types that have been used throughout the history of the postgraduate entrance exam and remain in use today. Through practice, grammar knowledge is gradually internalized in an implicit manner. The "Question Analysis" section provides detailed guidance on each question, clarifying doubts and resolving confusion.
5. Grammar and the Three Major Postgraduate Entrance Exam Skills (Reading, Writing, Translation) Unified: This book goes beyond simply discussing linguistic rules; it does not just talk about grammar for grammar's sake but uses grammar as a starting point to comprehensively improve candidates' reading, writing, and translation skills. The reading passages in the postgraduate English exam are characterized by diverse expressions and concentrated complex sentences, which are often a source of difficulty for candidates. In light of this, the book not only emphasizes the three types of clauses but also highlights phenomena such as inversion, ellipsis, and emphasis. The final chapter is dedicated to discussing sentence expansion and analysis, selecting complex sentence structures from exam questions to help candidates familiarize themselves with the sentence patterns of the postgraduate English exam, provide the correct approach to analyzing and understanding long and complex sentences, and thus enhance their ability to handle such sentences.
Combining the specific requirements of the postgraduate entrance exam and starting from the perspective of actual language use, the book opens thematic discussions, pointing out typical problems caused by the influence of Chinese expression habits and thinking patterns, such as "agreement between pronouns," "redundant pronoun reference," "tense consistency," and "logical connection between participles and the subject of the sentence." To strengthen candidates' translation skills, the book also reveals the prominent features that distinguish English from Chinese from a comparative linguistic perspective and arranges translation exercises for relevant grammar topics, such as "Translating the conjunction before," "Translating the passive voice," "Translating relative clauses," "Translating appositives," etc., as well as translation exercises at the end of each chapter. "Special Tips" scattered throughout the book promptly point out typical problems candidates encounter when using English, answer common questions, provide targeted advice, analyze errors, and clarify misunderstandings.
Winter has passed, and spring is approaching. May the publication of this book bring a gentle breeze of hope to all candidates. Wishing all students success and victory on their path to the postgraduate entrance exam.
At the time of writing this book, I am grateful to Mr. Hu Min, President of Beijing New Channel School and a renowned English education expert, for his support and encouragement to the author. I also thank Ms. Chen Caixia, a senior postgraduate entrance exam tutoring expert, for her planning of this book and the guidance she provided to the author.