GROUPS

Nominal
group
“A nominal group is typically a group with a
noun (or pronoun) as its Head, and that noun
may be modified, but it does not have to be
modified in order to constitute a group in this
technical sense.”
(Bloor, T, Bloor, M., 2004, The Functional Analysis of
Grammar, p. 31)
 Structure of the nominal group

The water in the bath

Premodifier Postmodifier

Head
(or thing)
 Premodifier
According to the Dictionary of Linguistics and
Phonetics (2008), a PREMODIFIER is an item that
comes before the HEAD of a GROUP.

Premodifiers for noun groups can be divided into four

different categories according to Halliday (2004):
• Deictics
• Numeratives
• Epithets
• Classifiers
HEAD

The HEAD of the group is the noun whose experiential

function is to represent the thing. The thing covers
inanimate and animate entities, including human
entities.
(Lock, G. 1997, Functional English Grammar: An
Introduction for Second Language Teachers, p. 26)
POSTMODIFIER
According to the Dictionary of Linguistics and
Phonetics (2008), a POSTMODIFIER is an item
that comes after the HEAD of a GROUP.

Postmodifiers for noun groups can be:

• Prepositional phrases

• Relative clauses

• Adverbs, adjectives, other types of clauses

(Leech, G. et al. 1982, English Grammar for

Today: A New Introduction, p. 62.)
Functions
•Subject:
The house was quite empty

•Object:
We have bought the house

• Complement:
A monster came out of my hot water pipe

(Leech, G. et al. 1982, English Grammar for Today: A New

Introduction, p. 60)
More examples

• Electricity is supplied to most homes through an

underground cable.

• Poor health is more common in people from lower

socioeconomic classes.

• These two unusual botanical specimens proved

invaluable.

(Bloor, T, Bloor, M., 2004, The Functional Analysis of Grammar, p.

138, 139)
 Verbal Group
The verbal group is the constituent that functions
as finite plus predicator (or as predicator alone if
there is not finite element) in the mood structure of
the clause (clause as exchange) and as process in
the transitive structure of the clause (clause as
representation in the clause.

A verbal group is the expansion of a verb, in the

same way that a nominal group is the expansión of a
noun; and it consists of a sequence of words of the
primary class of verb.

(Halliday .M , 2014 An Introduction to Functional Grammar. P. 396)

 Example

Someone’s has been eating my

porridge
 Logical Structure
The verbal group is also
structured logically, but in a
way that is quite different
from, and has not parallel in,
the nominal group. The
logical structure of the verbal
group realizes the system of
tense.

(Halliday M.A.K, 2014 An Introduction To Functional Grammar.

P.P 398, 399)
Verbal Group
The tense in english is a recursive system . the
primary tense (has) is that functioning as
head, this the “deictic” tense: past, present or
future relative to speech event. The modifying
elements at (been) (eaten) are secondary
tences. They express past present or future
relative to the time selected in the previous
tense.

(Halliday M.A.K, 2014 An Introduction To Functional Grammar.

P.P 398,399)
More examples
• They should be working

• She sang

• Eventually seventeen people were wiretrapped

by the FBI

• He worked with Bronstein, who had been

brought into the firm by Kaplan

(Bloor, T, Bloor, M., 2004, The Functional Analysis of Grammar, p. 36)

Adjectival
Group
The adjectival group consist of adjective together
with elements which complement o modify them in
different ways. Althought adjectival groups are
potentially complex, in practice most of them heavy
a fairly simple structure. Thus, a typical adjectival
group consists of a head in the form of an the
adjective sometimes accompanied by premodifiers
and postmodifiers.

(Lund university, 2014 Academy writing in English)

Structure of the adjective
group
He’s very tall indeed

Premodifier Postmodifier

Head
• Premodifiers: typically adverbs of degree
(extremely, rather, too…)

• Head: simple adjective (big), comparative

adjective (bigger) or supperlative adjective
(biggest)

• Postmodifiers: adverbs (indeed, enough),

prepositional phrases (rather too hot [for
comfort]), complements (younger [than I
expected])

(Leech, G. Et Al. 1982, English Grammar For Today: A New

Introduction, P. 66)
Functions
•Modifier before a noun (called attributive
adjective):
E.G.: We saw a [very good movie]
last night

•Subject predicative, usually after the

verb to be:
E.G.: He’s a [deeply sick man]

(Biber, D., Conrad, S., Leech, G. (2003) Student Grammar Of

Spoken And Written English, P. 44.)
More examples

• It was more blatant than anything they had

done in the past

• The European study asked a slightly different

question

• Gabby was afraid to say anything more

• He’s totally crazy

(Biber, D., Conrad, S., Leech, G. (2003) Student Grammar Of
Spoken And Written English, P. 44.)
Adverbial
group
The adverbial group is similar to the noun group in
structure, except that the HEAD is an ADVERB.
Optional modifiers may preceed of follow the adverb
head.

The adverbial group should be distinguished

from adverbials: adverbials are clause elements
while adverbial groups are structures. Adverbial
groups and adverbial phrases can act as
adverbials.

Biber, D., Conrad, S., Leech, G. (2003) Student Grammar of Spoken and
Written English, p. 44.
 Structure of the adverbial group

…much more quickly than envisaged

Postmodifier
Premodifier

Head
• Premodifiers: adverbs of polarity, comparison,
intensification

• Head: mainly adverbs of degree

• Postmodifiers: prepositional phrases,

embedded clauses, other adverbs

(Halliday .M , 2014 An Introduction to Functional Grammar. P. 356)

 Functions
• As a modifier in an adjective or adverb
phrase:
e.g.: Those two were [pretty much horribly spolied]

• As an adverbial, at the level clause:

e.g.: She smiled sweetly

(Biber, D., Conrad, S., Leech, G. (2003) Student Grammar of Spoken and Written
English, p. 44.)
More examples
• He was an attractive little creature with a sweetly
expressive face

• They sang bloomingly well

• Indeed it is extremely difficult to establish any truly

satisfactory system

• I lost the manual that comes with it, unfortunately

(Biber, D., Conrad, S., Leech, G. (2003) Student Grammar of Spoken and
Written English)
Prepositional
group
 i

If we analyze an example such as:

HE´+WENT+RIGHT TO THE END

We can distinguish three constituents:

The subject: (he)
The predicate: (went) and
The adjunct: (right to the end)
The constituents are realized by a noun phrase, a
verb phrase prepositional or marked noun phrase. If
we analyze the adjunct constituent, we realize that
the prepositional phrase is modified by the optional
intensifier “right” which functions in a similar way to
other modifiers in other phrases.
(Halliday, 1985 An Introduction To Functional Grammar. P. 396)
Other examples
Just as very and quiet are
considered to be dependant 1. He was very glad.
elements modifying the
heads glad and fast in the
adjective and adverb 2. He was quiet fast.
phrases. Holliday (1985)
considered right a dependant 3. It went right into
element modifying the the wall
preposition to, forming what
he calls the prepositional
group.

(Halliday, 1985 an introduction to

functional grammar. P. 423)