A Problem With Exercise 2: Analysing Groups With Simple Tenses

Martin, Matthiessen & Painter (2010: 213-4):

Exercise 2 Analysing groups with simple tenses

Analyse the verbal groups in the following clauses:

1. That giant alone has a most voracious appetite.
2. If I was a titchy little runty giant only twenty-four feet high then...
3. She and the big friendly giant sat quietly on the blue rock...
4. She is famous for her kindness...
5. He thinks perhaps...
6. We'll go to the Queen!
7. She sees a little girl...
8. ... and there are very few people about in the witching hour.

Blogger Comments:

Here again the authors misrepresent the logical structure of the verbal group by including the Event as an element, and thereby mislead the reader to do likewise. Halliday & Matthiessen (2014: 411n):

A major point of difference between the verbal group and the nominal group is that the Event (unlike the Thing) is not the point of departure for the recursive modifying relationship. Hence it does not figure as an element in the notation.