Mood Metaphor

 Martin, Matthiessen & Painter (2010: 67):

As noted above in Section 1.2, speech functions such as statement, command and question have both congruent and metaphorical realisations. With metaphorical realisations the grammar works as a metaphor for the relevant meaning – as when an imperative like Tell me your name is used to question (to demand information):

 

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To be clear, such metaphorical grammatical realisations express two layers of meaning on the semantic stratum at once. For example, the imperative clause Tell me your name realises both a command and a question, with the command realising the question. See Halliday & Matthiessen (1999: 272, 289) on grammatical metaphor as semantic junction in which a metaphorical Token realises congruent Value, in the context of ideational metaphor. It is this junction of meanings that construes the tenor of the situation.