1. March 18th, 2016 Clause as subject Error correction Red and Green
GRAMMAR 1 Lecture 10
March 18th, 2016
Clause as subject
Error correction
Red and Green

2. Which are types of complementation patterns in English?
Monotransitive
You look very nice today.
Ditransitive
Transmonitive
Intransitive
I’m rather panicked about the final exam.

3. What kind of Complementation?
He gathered his strength and threw the ball.
The catcher threw the ball to the outfielder.
The runner stopped.

4. What types of MODALITY are there in English?
Usuality
Certainty
Obligation
Demand for goods and services
Inclination
Nominalizations
Probability
I’m rather panicked about the FINAL exam.

5. Modality: What types? The child might be hers. She often went there.
You should go now.
I’ll give you a hand.

6. Language in Context: review
Refer to your hand out.

7. What is the subject?
That he failed his driving test surprised everyone.
Why the course was cancelled was never explained.
What he said annoyed us all.

8. What rule of usage? The clause as subject….
Can be formed by a “that” clause
Can be formed by combing two conjunctions of hypotaxis when subjuncted by a “when” clause
Can be formed by a “wh” interogative
Can be formed by a “wh” relative clause

9. Clause as Subject
S F C
To argue with the captain was asking for trouble.
Cli (clause + infinitive) VG NG
To argue with the captain was asking for trouble.
To argue with the captain was asking for trouble.
Subject
Finite
Complement
To argue with the captain
was
asking for trouble
Clause as Head of ‘nominal group’ VG

10. F P Clause as Subject S Ignoring the problem will not help.
Cling (clause + ing) VG
polarity
Subject
Finite + polarity + Predicator
Ignoring the problem
will not help.
Clause as Head of ‘nominal group’ VG

11. Clause as Subject
That all his wealth might some day be hers had never occurred to her.
Subject
Finite + polarity + Predicator
Object
That all his wealth might some day be hers
had never occurred
to her.
Clause as Head of ‘nominal group’ VG PP

12. Compare Anticipatory “IT” For everyone to escape was impossible.
To forget your keys is easy
That you are failing the course is a pity.
It was impossible for everyone to escape.
It is easy to forget your keys.
It is a pity (that) you are failing the course.
Anticipatory “IT”

13. Clause as Subject It that the captain was not a show-off. Sub---
Finite
Complement
----ject It
was
fortunate for us
that the captain was not a show-off.
(Anticipatory) Pronoun (NG) VG
Adj
Clause as Head of ‘nominal group’
That the captain was not a show-off was fortunate for us.
It is easy to understand why the captain was so popular.
Why the captain was so popular is easy to understand.

14. Subject? It was an amazing party.
It was fortunate for us that the sun was shining.
It has not been so sunny in a quite while.

15. Subject? That everyone showed up was unexpected.
Throwing a party can be stressful.
The party was a great success.

16. TEXT ANALYSIS

17. TEXT analysis ‘Blended Fish’ Student text (Cantonese Native Speaker, 14 years old)
Students have visited an art museum where there was an ‘exhibit’ of a fish in a blender. Visitors were asked to make a choice whether to press the button or not.
Students’ TASK :
Argue for or against the appropriacy of the ‘blended fish’ museum exhibit.

18. TEXT (Original)
In my opinion I think the museum is right. Why am I being so cruel for helping the museum and not the poor fishes? My answer is because the museum didn't blend the fish, it the visiter that blended the fish. Maybe the visiter think that blending a fish is art. So they wanted to see art there to satisfy themself.
If your saying that having a museum will turned out like this, then would you rather that there would be no museum at all? The why is there a museum in the first place. It’s because they want to see some arts. You should expected to see some things would happen like this, right?
Thousands and thousands of fish were being killed in one day. Why didn't the animal right group do anything about it? Why did they picked to deal with the museum’s fishes?
Is it because of the way the fishes were being killed? Didn't you know how the thousands of fishes die? Some of them were being chop into many pieces. So why didn't the animal right group pick to deal with the blended fishes?
Is a fish’s life as precious as a human’s life? In the reality, the answer is no. If you say yes, would you rather keep all the fish alive and safe but the human can’t eat meat? Do you want that to happen? Lots of people would say no. People eat fish everyday, but what’s the difference between eating fish and goldfish? These are all the reasons why I am not againsting the museum. Please think about what you did before you against the museum.

19. Evaluating the Student Text
Social Purpose
Stages

20. Is the text’s social purpose clear?
Is a fish’s life as precious as a human’s life? In the reality, the answer is no. If you say yes, would you rather keep all the fish alive and safe but the human can’t eat meat? Do you want that to happen? Lots of people would say no. People eat fish everyday, but what’s the difference between eating fish and goldfish? These are all the reasons why I am not againsting the museum. Please think about what you did before you against the museum.
The student’s purpose is …
…to argue a case for a museum’s version of art.

21. Are the ‘stages’ of the text clear?
The text is an “expository text”
Exposition:
(following Christie & Dreyfus, 2007 & Unsworth, p. 123)
Thesis (Macro-Theme)
Argument 1:
topic sentence/argument ^ evidence (elaboration)
Argument 2:
Reinforcement of thesis

22. Stages of “Blended Fish” Text Student’s text/arguments
Thesis /defense of museum
The museum is OK. It doesn’t blend the fish, the visitor does.
Argument 1
Disagreement with the museum is illogical, (because being controversial is a museum’s job?)
Argument 2
Blending is the same as eating
Argument 3
Eating is OK, so blending is OK
Reinforcement?
Conclusion with ‘demand for action’.
Please reconsider, if you are against the museum

23. Experiential Meaning What do you look for? What does this include?
Language that makes up the field/topic
What does this include?
Nouns
Verbs
Are the choices relevant? Repetitious? Limited?
Are the VGs and/ or NGs faulty?
Faulty NG= e.g. no diectic
Are the process choices appropriate for the text purpose?

24. Experiential Meaning: NGs VGs
In my opinion I think the museum is right. Why am I being so cruel for helping the museum and not the poor fishes? My answer is because the museum didn't blend the fish, it the visiter that blended the fish. Maybe the visiter think that blending a fish is art. So they wanted to see art there to satisfy themself.
If your saying that having a museum will turned out like this, then would you rather that there would be no museum at all? The why is there a museum in the first place. It’s because they want to see some arts. You should expected to see some things would happen like this, right?
Thousands and thousands of fish were being killed in one day. Why didn't the animal right group do anything about it? Why did they picked to deal with the museum’s fishes?
Is it because of the way the fishes were being killed? Didn't you know how the thousands of fishes die? Some of them were being chop into many pieces. So why didn't the animal right group pick to deal with the blended fishes?
Is a fish’s life as precious as a human’s life? In the reality, the answer is no. If you say yes, would you rather keep all the fish alive and safe but the human can’t eat meat? Do you want that to happen? Lots of people would say no. People eat fish everyday, but what’s the difference between eating fish and goldfish? These are all the reasons why I am not againsting the museum. Please think about what you did before you against the museum.

25. Experiential meaning: NGs VGs
The field/topic built up by NPs & VPs is relevant – e.g. museum, fish, blend, art, but the lexis/vocabulary is very limited in all word classes.
For Example:
‘Thousands and thousands of fish’ is about the most complex noun group and is repeated three times.
Verb groups are often ungrammatical, e.g. ‘did picked’, ‘againsting’ . Noun groups seem less problematic/mainly grammatical .

26. Experiential meaning Verb Process Choices
The most frequent process, appropriately, is ‘material’, mainly in par 3, but the verbs are unnecessarily repeated (e.g. kill, eat, blend), which shows limited vocabulary for construing events illustrating the argument.

27. Experiential meaning Verb Process Choices
There are mental verbs for giving the views of the writer and others; verbal verbs, actually used as mental verbs (e,g, some people would say yes = think yes/agree).
Mental processes seem over-represented in the first 2 paragraphs (think x 2, want x2) .

28. Experiential meaning Verb Process Choices cont’d
Relational verbs are found in over-frequent wording ‘it is because’ structures, and in questions e.g. ‘is a fish’s life precious?’
Relational processes may also be over-represented in general, as a result of inappropriate ‘is because’ structures and ‘yes/no’ questions.

29. Evaluating the Student Text
Experiential
Mood
NGs
Cohesion
Tense
Process choices
VGs
Modality
Evaluative language
Ungrammatical VGs

30. Interpersonal Meaning
What do you look for?
Tense
Pronouns
Mood
Modality
Evaluative language
Are these choices appropriate for the purpose of the text?

31. Interpersonal meaning
The most serious problem is interpersonal meaning (the making of the writer-reader relationship):
Mood selection is generally inappropriate, as there is too much [rhetorical] questioning, and not enough declarative mood giving information to support/elaborate/exemplify substantive arguments.

32. Interpersonal meaning: MOOD
In my opinion I think the museum is right. Why am I being so cruel for helping the museum and not the poor fishes? My answer is because the museum didn't blend the fish, it the visiter that blended the fish. Maybe the visiter think that blending a fish is art. So they wanted to see art there to satisfy themself.
If your saying that having a museum will turned out like this, then would you rather that there would be no museum at all? The why is there a museum in the first place. It’s because they want to see some arts. You should expected to see some things would happen like this, right?  
Thousands and thousands of fish were being killed in one day. Why didn't the animal right group do anything about it? Why did they picked to deal with the museum’s fishes?
Is it because of the way the fishes were being killed? Didn't you know how the thousands of fishes die? Some of them were being chop into many pieces. So why didn't the animal right group pick to deal with the blended fishes?
Is a fish’s life as precious as a human’s life? In the reality, the answer is no. If you say yes, would you rather keep all the fish alive and safe but the human can’t eat meat? Do you want that to happen? Lots of people would say no. People eat fish everyday, but what’s the difference between eating fish and goldfish? These are all the reasons why I am not againsting the museum. Please think about what you did before you against the museum.

33. Interpersonal meaning: MOOD
The final imperative mood choice is better expressed with modulated declarative – ‘people might perhaps …’which includes people other than the addressee (you).
Please think about what you did before you against the museum.
People might consider their own habits before protesting the museum.
Modulation because this is a graded imperative (obligation).

34. Interpersonal meaning: Modality
Modality is inappropriately high and ungrammatical in ‘you should expected’ and successful modality is generally expressed lexically by adjuncts ‘actually and ‘maybe’, not grammatically in verb groups.
Modulation because this is a graded imperative (obligation).

35. Interpersonal meaning: Tense; Evaluative language
Tense is unsystematic e.g. the sudden switch to past tense in paragraph 3.
Evaluative lexis ‘chopped into many pieces’ needs downgrading to appear less ‘emotional’/based on ‘affect’.
Modulation because this is a graded imperative (obligation).

36. Interpersonal meaning: Pronoun
The pronoun selection of ‘you’ addresses the reader over-directly and with ‘high volume’ (e.g. let me ask you a question……Do you want that to happen?) in all except the first paragraph.
This is far more appropriate in spoken mode (e.g. debate), or in writing making closer writer-reader relationship (e.g. a magazine).
Pronoun ‘I’, however, is appropriate in paragraphs 1 and 5 presenting and refining personal view.

37. Evaluating the Student Text
Purposes/stages
Experiential
Interpersonal
Textual

38. Textual Meaning What do you look for? Backbone; structure Cohesion
Synonyms
Pronoun referencing (for cohesion)
Signposting/ discourse markers
Conjunctions.

39. TEXT: Backbone
In my opinion I think the museum is right. Why am I being so cruel for helping the museum and not the poor fishes? My answer is because the museum didn't blend the fish, it the visiter that blended the fish. Maybe the visiter think that blending a fish is art. So they wanted to see art there to satisfy themself.
If your saying that having a museum will turned out like this, then would you rather that there would be no museum at all? The why is there a museum in the first place. It’s because they want to see some arts. You should expected to see some things would happen like this, right?
Thousands and thousands of fish were being killed in one day. Why didn't the animal right group do anything about it? Why did they picked to deal with the museum’s fishes?
Is it because of the way the fishes were being killed? Didn't you know how the thousands of fishes die? Some of them were being chop into many pieces. So why didn't the animal right group pick to deal with the blended fishes?
Is a fish’s life as precious as a human’s life? In the reality, the answer is no. If you say yes, would you rather keep all the fish alive and safe but the human can’t eat meat? Do you want that to happen? Lots of people would say no. People eat fish everyday, but what’s the difference between eating fish and goldfish? These are all the reasons why I am not againsting the museum. Please think about what you did before you against the museum.
In my opinion I think the museum is right. Why am I being so cruel for helping the museum and not the poor fishes? My answer is because the museum didn't blend the fish, it the visiter that blended the fish. Maybe the visiter think that blending a fish is art. So they wanted to see art there to satisfy themself.
If your saying that having a museum will turned out like this, then would you rather that there would be no museum at all? The why is there a museum in the first place. It’s because they want to see some arts. You should expected to see some things would happen like this, right?
Thousands and thousands of fish were being killed in one day. Why didn't the animal right group do anything about it? Why did they picked to deal with the museum’s fishes?
Is it because of the way the fishes were being killed? Didn't you know how the thousands of fishes die? Some of them were being chop into many pieces. So why didn't the animal right group pick to deal with the blended fishes?
Is a fish’s life as precious as a human’s life? In the reality, the answer is no. If you say yes, would you rather keep all the fish alive and safe but the human can’t eat meat? Do you want that to happen? Lots of people would say no. People eat fish everyday, but what’s the difference between eating fish and goldfish? These are all the reasons why I am not againsting the museum. Please think about what you did before you against the museum.

40. Textual Meaning
Thematic selection reveals the ‘backbone’ to the text is questioning, rather than ‘material’ illustrations to argument.
Material illustrations to argument are few and repetitious, e.g. ‘The museum [put]….., thousands and thousands of fish [were being killed]…..
Some good Thematic selection is ‘some people’…though this wording is not always found in the appropriate stage.

41. Textual meaning
There is little (-) complex conjunction overall, showing the writer has control only of ‘and’ and ‘but’ and limited control of ‘if’.
There are also few (-) adverbial discourse markers, except for ‘so’ in So, they wanted to see art there.
Referencing is unclear with ‘they’ in paragraphs 1, 2 e.g. ‘its because they want to see some arts’ and 3.

42. Blended Fish Test Question:
Name the meaning (experiential or interpersonal) with which the student writer has more difficulty and the grammatical system which is less controlled.
Interpersonal Meaning is most problematic
Modality
Tense
Pronoun selection
(This would be followed by examples from the text using the terms/concepts from this course)

43. Re-writing
In my opinion, the museum is right. Why might I seem so cruel for siding with the museum and not the poor fish? My answer concerns the purpose/role of art museums and the relationship of fish and people.
The purpose of art museums is to let visitors see [and think about] art. Visitors want to see [some ] art. Art could be, to some visitors, blending a fish (or not). The visitor decides, and the visitor, not the museum, blends the fish.
[The museum gives participation opportunities to people. They can act or simply think].
Many thousands of fish are killed for food by people each day, but animal rights groups do not protest each day. Perhaps some people protest about the museum’s fish exhibit because the fish might be chopped into many pieces, and suffer. However, the many thousands killed each day are also diced up. [This is] because, in reality, a fish’s life is not as precious as a human life. Humans do not conserve fish or avoid eating fish meat. [On the contrary], people eat fish every day.
These are the reasons [why] I am not against the museum. OR
[So my reasons for supporting the art museum are that we expect art to make us think, and fish are [seen as] food by most people.]
Non-nominalized alternatives for age 14?? Not really.

44. What we just did Interpersonal Modality Pronoun Tense/voice
Examined a student-produced text
Identified the most problematic area:
Interpersonal
Identified the least controlled grammatical system/area
Modality
Pronoun
Tense/voice

45. The ‘problem’ usually relates to a lexico-grammatical system
Meaning
System
Ideational (Experiential)
(+logical)
Noun
Verb
Conjunction
Interpersonal
Mood
Modality
Tense & Voice
Pronoun
Evaluation (Appraisal)
Textual
Cohesion:
Reference
[Theme development]

46. Remember QUIZ #3 during Tutorials!!! Complementation patterns
You will be given a Text
The focus this time is on:
Complementation patterns
I will release the TEXT for the final exam soon.
I will answer NO questions about the exam text.
I will also stop answering grammatical questions after the final tutorial NEXT WEEK.