The Department of Grammar and History of English is one of the premier departments at the university. In 2007, the department celebrated its 40th anniversary. With its creativity and focus on linguistic research, the department carries on the principles and spirit of Professor G.G. Potcheptsov, Doctor of Philology, who was Department Chair from 1967 to 1999. A prominent scholar, acknowledged both in Ukraine and abroad, Professor Potcheptsov has always been an inspiration to our faculty members. G.G. Potcheptsov was the author of over 130 publications, including books, manuals, teaching guides and research articles. The results and principles of G.G. Potcheptsov's linguistic research have remained a driving force in our department and provided guidance for future creative endeavors. Presently, the department is headed by Professor I.R. Buniyatova, Doctor of Philology.

The department is committed to teaching various linguistic disciplines to different categories of students. These include English majors, continuing education students, correspondence and part-time students, and research fellows. The subjects offered by our department are divided into mandatory courses and electives. The core courses are:

-         History of English;

-         Theoretical Grammar of English;

-         Typology of English and Ukrainian;

-         History of Linguistic Studies;

-         Practical English for third year students.

The list of electives includes:

-         Modern Approaches to Discourse Studies;

-         Function Words in Discourse;

-         Non-Verbal Components in Communication;

-         Communicative and Pragmatic Aspects of Informative Text;

-         Aspects of Diachronic English Syntax.

Our team consists of 21 teachers and two laboratory assistants. Two of our faculty members hold the degree of Doctor of Philology and are full professors. Seven of our teachers have the degree of Candidate of Philology; four of them are associate professors. We also have five senior lecturers and 6 instructors. There are currently 12 graduate students enrolled in our graduate school. All of our teachers are experienced professionals; some of them have been working at the university for many years.

Ever since the first day of its foundation, our department has been known for its devotion to intellectual pursuits, which makes research substantial and esteemed enterprise. The range of our research topics is wide and versatile. In our studies of linguistic phenomena, we are pursuing the approach suggested by Professor Potcheptsov, who founded the School of Pragmatics and Speech Communication in 1962. The scale and character of our research topics cover synchronic and diachronic studies of the grammatical system of English, phonology of Germanic languages, discourse analysis and cognitive linguistics.  In any given year there are some 10 undergraduate papers and master's theses completed at our department. During the last five years, our faculty and graduate students have participated in over 70 national and international conferences. The efforts of our scholars have produced over 130 candidates of philology, most of whom now hold major positions in linguistics both in Ukraine and abroad. During the last five years, our teachers and graduate students have completed 16 dissertations-14 candidate papers and two doctor's theses.

The department is known internationally. Many of our faculty members and graduate students are members of the European Society for the Studies of English (ESSE), headed by Professor Buniyatova. In 2005, the department housed the Third International Symposium of the Ukrainian Society for the Studies of English (USSE) entitled "Recent Trends in Language and Literature Studies: Insights and Approaches." Much attention is given to developing international ties with schools of higher education in countries where English is taught as a foreign language (Great Britain, the United States, Poland, Finland, Germany, Russia, Belorus). We encourage our staff members and graduate students to share their research experiences by participating in both national and international conferences.