REPRESENTING THE WORLD: THE EXPERIENTIAL METAFUNCTION

MENTAL PROCESSES

Mental processes 1: Senser and Phenomenon

She
Senser

Could hear
Process:
mental

His voice.
Phenomenon

Mental processes 2: emotion

She
I

Hated
Like

Senser

Process: mental,
emotion

The thought of leaving him

alone.
Most operas.
Phenomenon

Mental processes 3: cognition

You
No one
Senser

Can imagine
Would choose
Process: mental,
cognition

Mental processes 4: perception

He
Could not see
Cordelia
felt
Senser
Process: mental,
perception

His reaction.
Such a colour.
Phenomenon

Anything.
Her face burning.
Phenomenon

Mental processes 5: desideration

I
You
Senser

Dont
may crave want
Process: mental,

Any trouble.
A cigarette.
Phenomenon

desideration

Mental processes 6: Phenomenon as Subject

This news
His lack of selfesteem
Phenomenon

Seemed to puzzle
Never worried

Her.
Him.

Process: mental

Senser

Mental processes 7: Passive mental process clauses

She
He
Senser

Seemed to be puzzled
Was never worried
Process: mental

By his news.
By his lack of self-esteem.
Phenomenon

Mental processes 7: Cognition and perpection processes with

Phenomenon as Subject
An awful thought
A falsh of colour

Has just struck

caught

Me.
Her eye.

Phenomenon

Process: mental

Senser

Mental processes 8: Embedded fact Phenomenon as Subject

It

strikes

me

Phe-

Process:
mental

Senser

That shes making a fool

of you.
-nomenon

Mental processes 9: Mental processes with separate projected

clauses
We
I
She
They
Sens
er

alwa
ys

Assumed
Thought:
d like
Wanted
Process:
mental

that

You
This

Were
Seems

You
her
Carrie
r

To keep
To become
Process:
relational,
attributive

Furious.
A rather
strange text.
Quiet.
A ballet dancer.
Attribute

Slightly adapted from: Thompson, G. (2004) Introducing Functional

Grammar. New York, OUP