This textbook is a concise, readable introduction to current work in syntactic theory, particularly to Chomsky's Minimalist program. It gives an overview of theoretical concepts and descriptive devices. The discussion is based on varieties of English (Modern Standard, Belfast, Shakespearean, Jamaican Creole) and does not assume prior knowledge of syntax. There are exercises and a glossary. It is an abridged version of Radford's major new textbook Syntactic theory and the structure of English: A Minimalist Approach (published by Cambridge).