Exam 1

A)1) A functional grammar aims to match forms to functions and meaning in context
There are three strands of meaning that form the basis of functional interpretation of grammar
 The representational/experimental: it has to do with the ways language represents our experience of the
world as well as the world of our thoughts and feelings.it concerns with how we talk about actions, happenings,
feelings, believes. situations and so on.
 The interpersonal: It has to do with the ways in which we act upon another thought language. It is the way
we express our judgements and attitudes, about things
 The textual: it has to do with the ways a stretch of language is organized in relation to its context, textual
meaning is important in the creation of coherence in spoken and written texts
2) Adjuncts:
 Circumstantial: The night before Easter Sunday, 1998(nominal group)
In the night (p phrase)
The next night (nominal group)
 Conjunctive: For instance, the vagus nerves slow down the rate of heart beat, while the accelerator nerves
increase it
 Modal: The sodium ions which enter are somehow pumped out again
3) The difference between Marked and Unmarked theme is that:
Marked is when there is a change in the expected order, when adjuncts or complements are in initial position.
Unmarked is when the subject is in initial position.
4) The unmarked correlation between given- new and theme and rhyme is for given to coincide with the theme, the
new information with some part of the Rhyme. Going beyond the clause, a consistent progression from given to new
will help the reader’s understanding of the text.
5) Low likelihood:
 I am sure that I will visit them again within a few years
 It's definitely not for money
 Now I think I know what that is
Mid requirement:
 Animal lovers who think that hunting is cruel but do not subscribe to extremist view should first ensure that
they know all the facts.
 We shouldn’t spend too much time watching television
6) The difference between mood and speech act is:
SPEECH ACTS
In other words, they are labels for the kinds of things we are doing when we act upon the another through
language.
 Asking for information and giving information
 Giving instructions (order)
MOOD
We speak about structure, that can be used with a typical function (statement)or another
- Declarative: “They put the books into the boxes.”
- Interrogative (yes/no type): Did they put the books into the boxes?”
- Interrogative (wh type): “Where did they put the books?”
- Imperative: Put the books into the boxes”
- Exclamative: “What a mess the books are in!”
Would you go off and finish colouring yours, please (Mood: interrogative, Speech act: directive)
You are sure you haven't made a mistake somewhere (Mood: declarative, Speech act: question or directive)

B) Identify participants process and circumstances

1- Fred bought a new shirt in Oxford
2-There is a notice on the door
3- The topic for the next section will be ´process writing´
4- Lots of people hate turnings
5) They sang a beautiful son

C) identify what kind of structure is involved in each sentence (clft-sentences, extraposition, thematic (why)
1- what I want to talk about today is the organization of clauses and messages.
2- A socialist I am, and a socialist I always be.
3- There are lot of foreign students living in this building
4- It is regretted that the university is unable to provide continuous nursing as domestic care

Exam 2
1)There are three strands of meaning that form the basis of functional interpretation of grammar
 The representational/experimental: it has to do with the ways language represents our experience of the
world as well as the world of our thoughts and feelings.it concerns with how we talk about actions, happenings,
feelings, believes. situations and so on.
 The interpersonal: It has to do with the ways in which we act upon another thought language. It is the way
we express our judgements and attitudes, about things
 The textual: it has to do with the ways a stretch of language is organized in relation to its context, textual
meaning is important in the creation of coherence in spoken and written texts
2) Adjuncts:
 Circumstantial: The night before Easter Sunday, 1998(nominal group)
In the night (p phrase)
The next night (nominal group)
 Textual : However, there were many challenges
 Conjunctive: For instance, the vagus nerves slow down the rate of heart beat, while the accelerator nerves
increase it
 Modal: The sodium ions which enter are somehow pumped out again
3) What is derived thematic progression? A derived thematic progression is when all the themes derived from hypper
theme or global topic. In a longer text, a variety of topic for discussion might be introduced by the author later in the
course of the chapter, the author might refer back to any one of the topics or aspects of the topics and use it as theme
4) The unmarked correlation between given- new and theme and rhyme is for given to coincide with the theme, the
new information with some part of the Rhyme. Going beyond the clause, a consistent progression from given to new
will help the reader’s understanding of the text.

5) likelihood
 It's definitely not for money (low likelihood)
 Now I think I know what that is (low likelihood)
 Ah! That must be Aunt Angela (modal aux of likelihood)
 We ought to just make it, as long as traffic’s not too bad at the tunnel (modal aux of likelihood)
 Mass marketing computing systems will continue to be silicon-based (prediction)
 This should benefit the users of information systems(prediction)
 Someone must have taken the message (expressing past)
 Their future will be affected if they have a criminal record (based on conditions)

6) Example s of indirect speech act:

Why don’t we take a short break? It is interrogative mood but in most contexts it is likely to be interpreted as a strong
suggestion or even an order

B) Identify participants process and circumstances

1- A car crashed into a tree
2- John thoughts that Mary was coming
3-She told me the story of her life
4-He was laughing
5-some granite has large crystals
C) identify what kind of structure is involved in each sentence (clft-sentences, extraposition, thematic (why)
1- This followed an accident in which a young man felt to his death who has been drinking for most of the journey.
2- It seems clear that we are likely to fail.
3- Objective it is not
4- What warries many governments is the increase in drug taking

GRAMMAR III – Some questions

1. Explain the notion of rank.

The clause is the main unit in the structure, and each clause is made uo for identifiable constituents, each pf
which has its own structure and follows a grammatical patterns. To show how clauses are structured, SFL
employs the notion of rank:
a. A clause consists of 1 or more groups
b. A groups consists of 1 or more words
c. A word consists of 1 or more morphemes.

E.g.: In the lower layers of the sea, there are few animals.
a. The lower layers of the sea (group)
b. Lower (word)
c. The (morpheme)

2. What is a focused finite predicator?

Verbal groups realize the function of finite (F) and predicator (P), and they are often combined in a single
word. Each of those is analysed as a Simple Verbal Group, realizing the functions of F and P at the same time.
In each instance the F and the P are said to be fused.
FINITE PREDICATOR
was writing
was written
might have been written

3. What is genre?
It has a General Oriented Activity Staged that takes place in a specific culture.

4. What is the difference between theme and topic. Provide 3 examples.

Theme: it’s the starting point, the departure of the message.
Topic: refers to what the text is about.
5. What are adjuncts and which are the 3 subtypes?
Adjuncts (joined to something) are peripheral in the clause. The information they give may be just as
important as that of S, F, P or C items.
Adjuncts are grammatically optional, in a way others are not.

The 3 subtypes are:

 Circumstantial: deals with circumstances of EVENTS or STATES (time, place, manner)
 Conjunctive: shows the link between the clause it introduces and the previous text.
 Modal: indicates some aspects of the speaker/writer’s attitude to the message or her comments on
its relevance, interests and so on.
6. How many types of meaning do wording of text encode?
The wording of text simultaneously encode 3 types of meaning:
 Ideational meaning:
 Are meanings about thinks, abstract and concrete, living and non-living
 Are realized by wording through
 Participants
 Processes
 Circumstantial
 Are most centrally influenced by the FIELD of the discourse.
 Interpersonal meaning:
 Express speaker’s attitudes and judgement.
 Are realized by wording through
o Mood
o Modality
 Are most centrally influenced by TENOR of discourse.
 Textual meaning:
 Expresses the relation of language to its environment (what has been said or
written before) and the non-verbal context.
 Are realized through patterns of
o Them
o Cohesion
 Are most centrally influenced by MODE of discourse.

7. Differences between SFG, FG, Formal G

- Traditional grammar focuses on rules for producing correct sentences.
- Formal grammar is concerned to describe the Stricture of Individual Sentences) SIS. This is, how is
the sentence structured.
- Functional grammar views language as a resource for making meaning.
- Systemic functional grammar labels the elements of the clause in terms of the FUNCTION each is
playing in the clause, rather than by words class.

8. Which are the 3 METAFUNCTIONS in SFL?

The way in which human beings use language are classified in 3 broad categories known as
METAFUNCTIONS.
A. Ideational metafunctions: is used to organize, understand and express our perceptions of the world.
It has 2 models:
o Experiential: concerned with the content or ideas.
o Logical: concerned with the relationship between ideas.

B. Interpersonal metafunction: enables us to participate in communicative acts with other people, to

take roles and to express and understand, feelings, attitudes and judgements.
C. Textual metafunction: used to relate what is said or written to the rest of the text. Involves the use
of language to organize the text itself.

9. What are the subclasses of the verb?

Verbs can be divided in many different ways. There are three basic subclauses:
o Lexical
 o Auxialiary
o Finite

10. What ae the main functions of the adjectives?

Adjectives have 2 main functions:
o As a modifier of a noun
o As head of a group that is complement.

11. What is context of culture?

Context of culture determines what can mean through:
o Being (who we are)
o Doing (what we do)
o Saying (what we say)
12. What is context in situation?
Context of situation can be specified through the use of the register variables (RV) field, tenor and mode.

13. What are the variable of contect of situation?

- Field: refers to what’s going on
- Activity focus
- Object focus

- Tenor: refers to the social relationships between those taking part. Are specific in terms of:
- Status of power
- Affection
- Contact

 Mode: refers to how long is being used. The channel of communication is spoken or written.

14. What is Grammar?

Grammar is a theory of language, of how language is put together and how it works. It’s the study of
wording.

15. What is a text?

A text is any stretch of language, that is spoken or written, for purposes of communication by real people in
actual circumstances.

16. How the theme progresses in the text?

a. Constant: when you continue speaking about the same topic.
b. Linear / Zig-zag: changes the theme to rheme.
c. Split: advantages and disadvantages. The main them is divided into 2.
d. Derived: there is a hypertheme, then divided into many themes.
Page Break
WHALES
Analysis
Thematic progression: As regard thematic progression it is mainly constant because the author describes
the topic ¨whales¨ and its characteristics through the entire text. However, there is an existential that
introduces a new topic and here the thematic progression is split, because the rhyme of the second part 4
has two components, each of which is taken in turn as the theme of the subsequent clauses. Then form
sentence 5 to sentence 6 the thematic progression is linear because the rhyme of sentence 5¨layer of fat.
As regard thematization it can be observed a topical theme when it says ¨whales are sea living mammals.
There is also a case of thematization is ¨superficially¨.
As it is a descriptive text, the author prefers to use active voice instead of passive. The election of the active voice
contributes also to make a smooth transition in the text and to make the information clearer to the reader.
In the text there are no cases of extraposition, postponement, it cleft nor wh cleft. There is one case of existential
there which is used to introduce a new topic.
The text is very cohesive because of the cohesive ties the author decides to use, for example:
Grammatical cohesive ties:
 Anaphoric references: they- whales
Some species- whales
 Demonstrative reference: this- layer of fat
 Nominal substitution: they therefore breathe air bur cannot...
 Nominal ellipsis: this is up to 300m in thickness and * serves to conserve
Lexical cohesion:
 Repetition: whale, fish
 Hiperonomy: whales, sea-living mammals
Whale- species
 Antonyms: Earth ≠sea
Horizontal ≠ vertical
 Collocartions : breathe air
Smooth and shiny
Transitivity: the author uses mainly relational processes as for example;
¨whales are sea-living mammals
identified identifier
It has a single nostril on top of its large....
Carrier possessed prepositional ph
The purpose to use this kind of process is that this text is descriptive. The author decides to use relational processes
as the best way to describe the character of whales.
Mood
As regards mood, most of the speech acts that the author uses in the text are realized through the use of declarative
sentences(statement) the reason for this is that the author Is describing aspects and characteristics of the whales,
giving information.
Modality
As regards likelihood, there are two cases:
 They therefore breathe air but cannot survive on land (cannot: High –negative likelihood)
 Some species are very large indeed and the blue whale, which can exceed 30m length (can: low positive
likelihood.
The purpose to use this modal auxiliary is to express some judgments about the author’s point of view.
There are no cases of requirement.
Page Break
SNAKE IN THE BATH
Analysis
Thematic progression: The purpose to use this thematic progression is because the author narrates a story
referred to a snake and he also describes the sequence of events through the text.
The thematic progression is mainly constant through the text
From sentence 1 to 2 the same theme is shared by each clause(I)
From sentence 6 to sentences < the same theme is shared by each clause(I)
From sentence 11 to sentences 12 the same theme is shared by each clause (It)
Finally, from sentence 13 to sentence 14 the same theme is share by each clause(I)
But there is also a linear thematic progression from sentence 10 to sentence 11
The rheme of sentence 10 (snake) is taken up as theme of sentence 11 (it)
Thematization
suddenly to my horror... - emphasizes the action, and participants feeling
For an instant- framework of time
Than out slithered the rest of his long thin body –fronting for emphasis
but nothing to the shock I got – fronting for emphasis.
The author prefers to use through the text because it contributes to make a smooth transition in the text
and to make the information clearer to the reader.
The text is very cohesive because 0f the cohesive ties the author decides to use such as:
Grammatical cohesive ties:
Cataphoric personal reference: we- Anna and I
Anaphoric personal reference: Ana and I –we/ Anna –she / snake-it
Demonstrative reference: then, there
SNOW WHITE

Analysis
As regards thematic progression: The author uses mainly a constant thematic progression as it is a short
narrative for young readers which describes the life of Snow white. The constant theme is ‘snow white,
which is repeated in all the clauses by the use of the personal ‘she’.
The author highlights certain circumstantial themes by fronting them (adjuncts in theme position) ‘Once
upon a time.....’(temporal frame)
To make connections with the previous clauses and also to give textual meaning, the writer chooses the
existential there, to introduce a topic (Once upon a time there lived a little girl named Snow white)
The voice chosen is active. The agent subject has the discourse role of the topic them (‘Snow white did not
want her uncle and aunt to...’(clear evidence that Snow White is the most important participant of the
discourse of the point when the clause is produced.
Cohesive ties:
Lexical cohesion:
Repetition: ‘She ‘- reference to Snow white
Changing words that share a similar meaning connected to a geographical area (castle, woods, cottage)
The chain gives information about the possible context where the author of the story might have lived
Substitution: ‘....but no one answered’, as ‘one’ in this example is making reference to ‘the drawrfs’
Collocations: ’feel asleep’ and ‘run away’
Grammatical cohesion:
Anaphoric reference: Pronoun ‘she’ ‘her’/ ‘they’- ‘uncle and aunt’
The sentence connectors or linkers that appeared are ‘so ‘then’ ‘and’- to make explicit links across the
sentences.
The author uses mainly to the simple tense and the past continues tense.
There are examples of temporal conjunctions like’ meanwhile’ then, ‘once upon a time’
Transitivity: most of the major process that the author uses are material and mental due to the fact that the
narration is for young readers.
In this text the participants are animated. This characteristic helps the text to follow the principle of animacy
which states that human beings are preferable and especially in narratives for children.
Mood and modality:
Mood: It can be observed that the author chooses declarative moods and interrogative mood by a question
(what is your name?
Modality: The use of ‘would’ to express past likelihood and the modal ‘may’
It is possible to state that the author’s choices make the text to have an effect on people. This useful
resource helps young readers to follow the story in a relatively straightforward and unadorned way.
There are no nominalizations.
As regards coherence, the text is organized in a way that is familiar to readers, so they can discern without
effort what the text is about. cv

EARTHQUAKE
ANALYSIS
THEME
- Thematic progression: the author uses mainly a constant thematic progression, because he is describing
an episode that occurred to himself, so the constant theme is the pronoun “I”
Examples: “I was driving along…”, “I thought a tyre…”, “I got back…”

- Different structures: the author uses:

 Thematization: In this case, the author uses thematization in order to describe time sequences.
Examples: “At first”, “When”.
 Existential there: as a way to closure, he uses “There wasn’t much left”. With the uses of this existential,
the author describes the effect of the earthquake in the town.

- Lexical cohesive devices:

- Grammatical cohesion: the author uses:
o Conjuncts: as “then”, “and”.

- Lexical cohesion: the author uses

o Repetition: “I”, “The car”.
o Meronymy: “Tyre”, “The car”.
o Collocations: “telegraph poles”, “coast road”.
o Lexical chains: “Car” and “tyre” as words related to vehicles; “lurched”, “collapsing” and “tumbling” as
words related to movements in catastrophes.
TRANSITIVITY
The author uses different processes:
- Material: because he is describing actions. Examples:
“I was driving…” “The car suddenly lurched”

- Mental: because the author describes his thoughts and the scenery.
“I thought” “I saw”
- Verbal:
“As I said”
- The participants are both animate (“I”, the author who is telling the story) and inanimate (“the car”,
“the rocks”…)

MOOD AND MODALITY

- The author uses declarative sentences, and the speech acts realizes as statements. (He is re-telling a
story and he knows what the development will be).
- There are no examples of likelihood.
- “Requirement” is present in the example: “I had to abandon the car” (as a necessity).