5.

2 Material Clauses: Processes of doing-&-happening

5.2.1 Introductory examples
'Material' clauses are clauses of doing-&-happening: a ‘material’ clause constitutes a quantum
of change in the flow of events as taking place through some input of energy.

Here is a short example of concrete 'material' clauses serving to construct the procedure: The
'material' clauses construe the procedure as a sequence of concrete changes in the trees
brought about by the person being instructed - the implicit 'you' (which could be made
explicit, as in you replace the fruiting rod). In the examples above, and in 'material' clauses in
general, the source of the energy bringing about the change is typically constructed as a
participant - the Actor. (The Actor is the one that does the deed – that is, the one that brings
about the change.)

5.2.2 Transitive and intransitive material clauses

Transitive is a clause that requires an object to complete its meaning

Example:

 She gave him a present. (He gives a gift to him.)

 They are building a house. (They are building a house.)

Intransitive is a clause that does not require an additional object

Example:

 She sleeps. (She sleeps.)

 He laughed. (He laughs.)

In a ‘material’ clause, there is always one participant – the Actor. This participant brings
about the unfolding of the process through time, leading to an outcome that is different from
the initial phase of the unfolding.
In both clauses, the Actor (realized by the nominal group the lion) is an inherent participant.
The implication is that in both cases the lion did something; but in (a) the doing was confined
to the lion, whereas in (b) it was directed at, or extended to, the tourist.

It will be noticed that the term Actor is used in the interpretation of both the intransitive
clause and the transitive one; and this embodies a further assumption, namely that the lion has
the same function in both.

If there is a Goal of the process, as well as an Actor, the representation may come in either of
two forms: either operative (active), the lion caught the tourist, or receptive (passive), the
tourist was caught by the lion.
 In the ‘operative’ variant, the Actor is mapped on to the Subject, so it is given modal
responsibility and in the ‘unmarked’ case (in a ‘declarative’ clause) it is also the
Theme; and the Goal is mapped on to the Complement, so in the ‘unmarked’ case it
falls within the Rheme.
 in the ‘receptive’ variant, it is the Goal that is mapped on to the Subject, so it is
assigned modal responsibility and it is also the Theme in the ‘unmarked’ case; and the
Actor has the status of an Adjunct within the Rheme of the clause and, as an Adjunct,
it may in fact be left out: the tourist was caught by the lion: the tourist was caught.