FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -

MOOD

For Internal Use Only

What is MOOD?

The mood system enables us

to make statements, ask
questions and give commands.

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

The Declarative Mood

This is a dog.

Statements - You give information

For Internal Use Only

The Interrogative Mood

Who owns this dog ?

Questions - You want information

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

The Imperative Mood

Get this dog out now !

Commands - You want something done.

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The basic speech ROLES

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

The basic speech FUNCTIONS

(a) [giving/information] = statement
(b) [demand/information] = question
(c) [give/goods & services] = offer
(d) [demand/goods & services] = command

For Internal Use Only

Realization of speech functions in
MOODS

Faculty of Linguistics and Cultures of

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

System network of speech functions

For Internal Use Only

System network of speech functions
(1) [give/information/initiating] = statement (S)
(2) [give/information/responding] = acknowledge statement
(AS)
(3) [demand/information/initiating] = question (Q)
(4) [demand/information/responding] = response statement
to question (RSQ)
(5) [give/goods & services/initiating] = offer (O)
(6) [give/goods & services/responding] = acknowledge offer
(AO)
(7) [demand/goods & services/initiating] = command (C)
(8) [demand/goods & services/responding] = response offer to
command (ROC)

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

The mood structure

MOOD + RESIDUE
• A CLAUSE IS CONSTITUTED BY FIVE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS,
NAMELY SUBJECT, FINITE, PREDICATOR, COMPLEMENT AND
ADJUNCT.
• SUBJECT AND FINITE FORM MOOD WHEREAS PREDICATOR,
COMPLEMENT AND ADJUNCT CONSTITUTE RESIDUE. THUS, A
CLAUSE DIVIDES INTO TWO MAIN PARTS: MOOD AND RESIDUE.
• MOOD MARKS A CLAUSE AS DECLARATIVE, INTERROGATIVE
AND IMPERATIVE WHICH ARE RESPECTIVELY REALIZATION OF
THE SPEECH FUNCTIONS OF STATEMENT, QUESTION AND
COMMAND. THE ELEMENTS OF CLAUSE IN TERMS OF
INTERPERSONAL FUNCTION ARE ELABORATED AS THE
FOLLOWING.

For Internal Use Only

Interaction and ‘Mood’
Children’s interaction...
John: Where did you get that Mars bar?
James: Bill gave it to me at lunch time.
John: No he didn’t.
James: Yes he did.
John: He did not.
James: Did!
John: Did not.
I saw you take it from Mom’s secret hiding place.
James: You did not.
John: Yes I did.
James: It’s mine anyway.
John: I want one too. [crying]
Mum: What’s all this noise about? If you can’t play
outside without fighting coming inside and do
your homework.

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English speaking countries/ ULIS - VNU 6
FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

Subjects in Dialogue

A: What the hell is structuralism?

B: It’s a form of analysis, dear.

For Internal Use Only

Speaker 1 And then at that time did you give him the
gun?
Speaker 2 It was probably about that time.
Speaker 1 Did you have at that time some talk about
the incident?
Speaker 2 I did.
Speaker 1 And at that time, was the man R still in
the back room?
Speaker 2 Yes, I think he was.
Speaker 1 Perhaps I should ask you as a matter of
finality, were you in the lounge room
when Mr. R was escorted through the house?
Speaker 2 No sir, I don't think so, no.

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

Subject
• SUBJECT is something (person or thing) which is
argued about. The Subject functions as the
resting point of the argument. The notion of
Subject in functional grammar is to some extent
equivalent to the term Subject in traditional
grammar. However, the function of Subject
indicates the resting point of the message in the
clause.
• THE MAN BOUGHT A NEW CAR
the Subject is the man.

For Internal Use Only

Finite
• FINITE is defined as verbal operator that is an
aspect of verbal phrase which, together with
Subject, makes something arguable. In The man
bought a new car, the Finite is did. Similarly, in
Jane sells books the Finite is does. Specifically,
the split of Finite from verb or verb phrase is
shown as the following, where the Finite is
italicized.
bought = did + buy
sells = does + sell
has done = has + done
write = do + write

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

• PREDICATOR is the verb phrase minus Finite. In

The man bought a new car, the Predicator is buy.
Similarly, in Jane sells books, the Predicator is
sell. The predicators are italicized in the
following verb phrases.
came = did + come
will come = will + come
has written = has + written
will have done = will + have done
• As indicated in the examples, the Predicator and
Finite are easily represented in an equation as
V=F+P, where V, F and F respectively stands for
Verb, Finite and Predicator. This equation
implies that F=V-P and P=V-F.

For Internal Use Only

• COMPLEMENT is an element of clause which is
potential to become the Subject. The notion of
Complement is equivalent to the term Object in
traditional grammar.

THE MAN BOUGHT A NEW BOOK

a new book is the Complement.

• However, not all elements of clause functioning

as the Complement can be changed to Subject
and the Complement is not fully similar to the
notion of Object in traditional terminology.

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

• ADJUNCT is an element of the clause which is

not potential to be promoted to be the
Subject. The notion of Adjunct is equivalent
to adverb in traditional grammar. In the
clause He came to my house yesterday, to
my house and yesterday function as the
Adjunct.

For Internal Use Only

Mood = Subject + Finite
• The Subject and Finite are two main
structural elements which operate a
mechanism whereby the Mood is
determined. In other words, Subject and
Finite determine and mark the types of
Mood of a clause. In the conversation below
A and B just repeat she and did as the Subject
and Finite respectively to change and move
from one Mood to another.

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English speaking countries/ ULIS - VNU 10
FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

MOOD structure
• In English the Mood is coded by the elements of
Subject and Finite. The two elements are turned
to and fro as in the following conversation where
the conversant manipulates only the Subject she
and Finite did.
A: Jane came to my office yesterday.
B: Did she?
A: Yes, she did
B: SHE DIDN’T
A: She did
B: She did not
A: She did for sure
B: She didn’t for God’s sake

For Internal Use Only

The system network of MOOD

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

Mood and Residue

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The coding of Mood

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

TROUBLE SHOOTING
• The ‘non-finite’ clauses.
The non-finite clause is characterized by the
absence of Finite.

The Mood system does not apply in this kind

of clause.

For Internal Use Only

TROUBLE SHOOTING
• Minor clauses
Minor clauses are expressions such as oh, yuk, hi,
yummy, thanks, wow. They are called ‘minor’
clauses because they are not open to any of the
major systems of Transitivity, Mood and
Theme. The really serve an interpersonal
function such as greeting, acknowledgement,
surprise, etc.
The Mood system does not apply in this kind of
clause.

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FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR - T06 -
MOOD

CONCLUSION
MOOD is an interpersonal realization at the
clause rank. MOOD covers the elements of
Subject and Finite by which a clause is coded
as either declarative, interrogative or
imperative. Congruently, declarative,
interrogative and imperative code the speech
functions of statement , question and
command respectively.

For Internal Use Only

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