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• PhD English Language, University of Edinburgh, 2010
• MA Historical Language Studies (research track), University of Sheffield, 2005
• PGCE Secondary English 11–18, University of Sheffield, 2004
• BA English Language with Linguistics, University of Sheffield, 2003

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I joined the Department of English Language and Linguistics in 2016. Prior to this, I was a Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at Northumbria University.

At undergraduate level, I teach the modules History of the English Language and Language Change. I also teach a postgraduate level module on Exploring English Grammar. 

I am particularly interested in supervising MA and PhD research in the areas of:

Historical linguistics and language change
Construction grammar and the relationship between form and meaning
Information packaging constructions and other specialised linguistic patterns
Pattern Grammar and the relationship between words and grammar

Find out more - our PhD English Language and Applied Linguistics  page has information about doctoral research at the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡.

I am interested in the structure and function of English grammatical constructions, and how they change over time. 

Much of my work has focused on English information packaging constructions. In my 2012 monograph, I examined the development of the English it-cleft from a constructional perspective. My current research in this area is on the topic of copular constructions and inversion sentences.

• I am the Head of Education for the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies.