I-IV -- Contents -- Introduction -- Frequency as a determinant in grammatical variation and change -- Phonological determinants of grammatical variation in English: Chomsky's worst possible case -- Post-verbal constituent ordering in English -- Grammatical variation in English: A question of 'structure vs. function'? -- Why are zero-marked phrases close to their heads? -- Cognitive complexity and horror aequi as factors determining the use of interrogative clause linkers in English -- Support for more-support -- The role of extractions and horror aequi in the evolution of -ing complements in Modern English -- Gerundial complements after begin and start: Grammatical and sociolinguistic factors, and how they work against each other -- Is there semantics in all syntax? The case of accusative and infinitive constructions vs. that-clauses -- Aspects of iconicity and economy in the choice between the s-genitive and the of-genitive in English -- Constructional semantics as a limit to grammatical alternation: The two genitives of English -- Principles of grammaticalization and linguistic reality -- Varieties of English from a cross-linguistic perspective: Intensifiers and reflexives -- Non-standard English and typological principles: The case of negation -- 'Every place has a different toll': Determinants of grammatical variation in cross-variety perspective -- Author index -- Subject index