[Amazon Pre-order Bonus] Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History: Why Do We Add 's' to Third Person Singular Present Tense? — Released June 10
NHK Publishing will release "Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History" on June 10, 2026, a new book by Ryuichi Hotta, a leading expert in English history research. The book answers learners' 'why' questions about grammar and words through the lens of English history, with an Amazon pre-order bonus available.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 11, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 12, 2026 at 03:52 (16h 20m after Collected)
Book cover image for "Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History: Why Do We Add 's' to Third Person Singular Present Tense?"
Why is the past tense of "go" "went"? Why is 11 "eleven"? Why do we add "s" to verbs in the third person singular present tense? A leading expert in English history research in Japan gently, deeply, and thoroughly explains 24 questions about English! NHK Publishing New Book "Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History: Why Do We Add 's' to Third Person Singular Present Tense" will be released on June 10, 2026. This book is a significantly revised and expanded version of the series "Solving English's Simple Questions with History" from the 2021-2022 NHK textbook "Basic English for Junior and Senior High School Students in English." By understanding "why," your comprehension of words and grammar will improve.
Mysteries covered in this book (partial excerpt):
- Why do "one" and "two" have these spellings and pronunciations?
- Why do we say "eleven" and "twelve"?
- Why is the plural of "child" "children"?
- Why is the past tense of "go" "went"?
- Why do English sentences require a subject?
- Why do we use the "There is/are..." construction to express existence?
- Why does "do" appear in interrogative sentences?
- Why do we add "s" to the third person singular present tense?
- Why is the future expressed in the present tense in adverbs clauses of time and condition?
- What is the singular "they"?
In this book, we will provide "answers" to common English rules that everyone has once questioned but eventually forgot to ask. You might be surprised, thinking, "Are there answers to such questions?" But in fact, if you trace the history of English, there are indeed "answers." It is in those English words that are too basic to even question "why," and in the "irregular" conjugations that were forcefully memorized like spells for exam preparation, that a profound history lies, offering hints that reveal the fascinating aspects of the English language.
(From the "Introduction" of this book)
[Amazon Pre-order Download Bonus]
Those who pre-order this book on Amazon by June 10 will receive one unrecorded, newly written manuscript.
*The bonus can be downloaded after June 10.
Pre-order on Amazon here
Author
Ryuichi Hotta
Professor, Faculty of Letters, Keio University. Graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, School of English, completed the doctoral program in Language and Information Science at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, and completed the doctoral program in English Linguistics at the University of Glasgow, UK (Ph.D. acquired). After serving as Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration, Kanagawa University, and Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor at the Faculty of Letters, Chuo University, he became Professor at the Faculty of Letters, Keio University in 2015. His specialties are English history and historical linguistics. His books include "The First English History to Answer English's 'Why?'" (Kenkyusha, 2016), "English Etymology Handbook (co-authored)" (Kenkyusha, 2025), and "Resolving English's 'Why?' with Linguistics (co-authored)" (Natsume Publishing, 2025). He also operates "hellog ~ English History Blog," Voicy channel "Radio for Learning English Etymology (heldio)," and YouTube channel "Inohota Linguistics Channel."
Product Information
NHK Publishing New Book 762 "Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History: Why Do We Add 's' to Third Person Singular Present Tense?"
Authored by Ryuichi Hotta
Released on June 10, 2026
ISBN: 978-4-14-088762-2
Price: 1,078 yen (tax included), New paperback, 240 pages
EC site: https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/detail/000000887622026.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4140887621
Why is the past tense of "go" "went"? Why is 11 "eleven"? Why do we add "s" to verbs in the third person singular present tense? A leading expert in English history research in Japan gently, deeply, and thoroughly explains 24 questions about English! NHK Publishing New Book "Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History: Why Do We Add 's' to Third Person Singular Present Tense" will be released on June 10, 2026. This book is a significantly revised and expanded version of the series "Solving English's Simple Questions with History" from the 2021-2022 NHK textbook "Basic English for Junior and Senior High School Students in English." By understanding "why," your comprehension of words and grammar will improve.
Mysteries covered in this book (partial excerpt):
- Why do "one" and "two" have these spellings and pronunciations?
- Why do we say "eleven" and "twelve"?
- Why is the plural of "child" "children"?
- Why is the past tense of "go" "went"?
- Why do English sentences require a subject?
- Why do we use the "There is/are..." construction to express existence?
- Why does "do" appear in interrogative sentences?
- Why do we add "s" to the third person singular present tense?
- Why is the future expressed in the present tense in adverbs clauses of time and condition?
- What is the singular "they"?
In this book, we will provide "answers" to common English rules that everyone has once questioned but eventually forgot to ask. You might be surprised, thinking, "Are there answers to such questions?" But in fact, if you trace the history of English, there are indeed "answers." It is in those English words that are too basic to even question "why," and in the "irregular" conjugations that were forcefully memorized like spells for exam preparation, that a profound history lies, offering hints that reveal the fascinating aspects of the English language.
(From the "Introduction" of this book)
[Amazon Pre-order Download Bonus]
Those who pre-order this book on Amazon by June 10 will receive one unrecorded, newly written manuscript.
*The bonus can be downloaded after June 10.
Pre-order on Amazon here
Author
Ryuichi Hotta
Professor, Faculty of Letters, Keio University. Graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, School of English, completed the doctoral program in Language and Information Science at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, and completed the doctoral program in English Linguistics at the University of Glasgow, UK (Ph.D. acquired). After serving as Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration, Kanagawa University, and Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor at the Faculty of Letters, Chuo University, he became Professor at the Faculty of Letters, Keio University in 2015. His specialties are English history and historical linguistics. His books include "The First English History to Answer English's 'Why?'" (Kenkyusha, 2016), "English Etymology Handbook (co-authored)" (Kenkyusha, 2025), and "Resolving English's 'Why?' with Linguistics (co-authored)" (Natsume Publishing, 2025). He also operates "hellog ~ English History Blog," Voicy channel "Radio for Learning English Etymology (heldio)," and YouTube channel "Inohota Linguistics Channel."
Product Information
NHK Publishing New Book 762 "Unraveling English Grammar Mysteries with English History: Why Do We Add 's' to Third Person Singular Present Tense?"
Authored by Ryuichi Hotta
Released on June 10, 2026
ISBN: 978-4-14-088762-2
Price: 1,078 yen (tax included), New paperback, 240 pages
EC site: https://www.nhk-book.co.jp/detail/000000887622026.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4140887621