The present wo r k is a comprehensive reference grammar of literary Arabic as it is written today. It discusses all the mo r phological a nd syntactical aspects of the language, beginning with basic elements such as the alphabet, the vowel signs, nouns, adjectives a nd verbs, a nd proceeding to mo r e complex structures such as conditional sentences, relative clauses, adverbals a nd so on. Since the Reference Grammar has been wirtten primarily with students of Arabic in mind, it approaches its subject matter in a way which is thought to be the most accessible fo r the language learner. Thus all Arabic wo r ds are fully vocalised to show the use of the cases, moods a nd certain o r thographic features, a nd the arrangement of entries is systematic a nd fully referenced. A notable a nd impo r tant feature of the Reference Grammar is the many examples (some 12.000) which illustrate the various grammatical points a nd which have been chosen fr om a number of novels written during the last decade o r so by leading Arab writers.