Analysing English Grammar

1. Analysing English Grammar Working with structures

2. Outline of the workshop • Describe the main structural units in SFG • Useful tests for identifying clause internal boundaries

3. Function and Form In working with grammatical structures, the key is to: • recognise structural units and connect them to the functions they serve to express • recognise functions and connect them to the structural units which serve to express them

4. Structural units “Describing a sentence as a construction of words is rather like describing a house as a construction of bricks, without recognizing the walls and the rooms as intermediate structural units”. • Halliday (1994:180)

5. Main elements of the clause:experiential ‘view’ Clause Participant Process Participant Circumstance John might fix it tomorrow

6. Main elements of the clause:interpersonal ‘view’ Clause Mood Residue Subject Finite Complement Predicator Adjunct John might it fix tomorrow

7. Main elements of the clause:textual‘view’ Clause Theme Rheme John might it fix tomorrow

8. What are the main structural units of the clause? clause level Clause group level determiner noun verb determiner noun word level that idiot drove the car he drove the car the car was driven by the man

9. ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AX Clause group level group group group group adjective noun verb noun preposition noun enraged cow injures farmer with axe

10. ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AX Clause group level group group group adjective noun verb enraged cow injures farmer with axe

11. Groups in SFG • Lexical base • Expansion of the lexical base (word) • Head + Modifier • Nouns  nominal group (nice people) • Verbs  verbal group (was eating) • Adverb  adverbial group (so quickly) • Adjective  adjectival group (very nice) • Conjunction  conjunction group (even if) • ... Phrase: reduction of a clause • Preposition  prepositional phrase

12. Groups : expansions of a word – Logical Structure right in the five red books on my desk nice people Postmodifier Head Premodifier much more quickly than he could as nice as you good very if even

13. Basic structure of the nominal group Nominal group: [Deictic] [Numerative] [Epithet] [Classifier] [Thing] [Qualifier] Determiners Modifiers ng Qualifier D Modifier Thing old woman who thought she had bought a hand massager the in the shoe

14. ng Qualifier D Mod. Thing woman who thought she had bought a hand massager old the Postmodifier Head Premodifier [Thing] [Qualifier] [Deictic] [Numerative] [Epithet] [Classifier] Determiners Modifiers

15. Basic structure of the prepositional phrase Prepositional phrase: [Process] [Range] (experiential structure) Not a case of Head + Modifier PP PP → pg ng pg: preposition group ng: nominal group pg ng pg d th in the shoe

16. They filmed [the scene in the hallway] Clause Participant Participant Process ng They filmed q d th pp the scene pg ng pg d th in the hallway

17. They filmed [the scene][in the hallway] Clause Circumstance Participant Participant Process pp ng They filmed pg ng d th pg d th the scene in the hallway

18. Boundaries and ambiguities Groucho Marx: « One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas… ... how he got into my pyjamas, I’ll never know »

19. Clause Circumstance Participant Process Participant Circumstance qualifier One morning I shot an elephant PP What function does this unit have? in my pyjamas

20. Pronoun replacement test • The group acts as a single unit. • Pronouns DO NOT replace nouns • Pronouns replace a unit/group One morning I shotan elephant in mypjs. One morning I shotit. One morning I shotan elephant in mypjs. One morning I shotit in mypjs

21. I thought the item on the old woman who thought she had bought a hand massager but actually bought a dildo was excellent Listener Comment from: RADIO 4 - SATURDAY LIVE was excellent it I thought the item on the old woman who thought she had bought a hand massager but actually bought a dildo was excellent

22. Movement tests • (Pronoun replacement test) • Cleft test • Passive test • Subject test

23. Cleft test • It was X that Y e.g. I saw the man from the car • It was the man I saw from the car • It was the man from the car that I saw • It was from the car that I saw the man • It was the man from the car that I saw

24. Passive test • X process Y  Y was processed e.g. I saw the man from the car • The man was seen from the car • The man from the car was seen

25. Subject test: to determine Subject • Clause must be in declarative (statement) form • Reformulate the clause in the interrogative from (you may need to add an auxiliary verb) • The auxiliary will form a boundary around the Subject e.g. The symptoms of early cataract can be improved with new eyeglasses. Can the symptoms of early cataract be improved with new eyeglasses? *Can the symptoms be improved of early cataract with new eyeglasses  ‘the symptoms of early cataract’ is the Subject, and therefore one structural unit.

26. Basic structure of the verbal group Verbal group: [Finite] ([Polarity]) ([Auxiliary])* [Event] vg Finite/Auxiliary1 Auxiliary2 Auxiliary4 Auxiliary3 Event being tricked have been might I might[mod.] have[perf.] been[prog.] being[pass.] tricked[lexicalverb] by that guy.

27. 3 ways for clauses to combine • embedding (within) – [rankshifting] • This is the house that Jack built • co-ordinating (equal) – [parataxis] • I like John and John likes me. • subordinating (dependant) – [hypotaxis] • I will like John if he likes me.

28. Recognizing (embedded) clauses • Each clause has only one main verb (Event) • Every independent clause must have a Finite element (whether expressed or not) • All non-finite clauses are embedded (and serve to express a function within the clause or a group)

29. 3 types of NON-FINITE clause in English • In English, there are three types of non-finite clauses: • -ed (pastparticiple)The photographfaded by the suncould not berestored.Destroyed by the rain, the sandcastleleftonly traces. • -ing (progressive)Havingtried as hard as hecould, John accepteddefeat.Quittingmy job is not an option. • « to » (infinitival)To winwouldbe a greataccomplishment.Sheis happy to help.

30. How could we analyse these? • I dropped off some resumes and looked at a few places to rent for the winter months. • I didn’t get any information from the program head because I couldn't get through

31. How many clauses? • I dropped off some resumes • and (I) looked at a few places to rent for the winter months. • I didn’t get any information from the program head • because I couldn't get through

32. How many verbs ? • I dropped off some resumes • and (I) looked at a few places to rent for the winter months. • I didn’t get any information from the program head • because I couldn't get through

33. Any embedded clauses? • I dropped off some resumes • and (I) looked at a few places [to rent for the winter months] • I didn’t get any information from the program head • because I couldn't get through

34. Where are the group boundaries? • I | dropped off| some resumes ng vg ng • And | (I) |looked| at a few places [to rent for the winter months] ng vg pp • I |didn’t get| any information | from the program head ng vg ng pp • Because | I |couldn't get through ng vg

35. I dropped off some resumes Clause ng vg ng th Finite/Event d th I dropped off some resumes

36. Clause I looked at a few places to rent for the winer months ng vg pp pg ng th Finite/Event pg d num th q looked I Clause at a few places pp vg pg ng Event pg d m th to rent for the winter months