Modality and grading
Exercise 6.9 Sample answer:
took – ‘borrowed’; drove – drove rapidly; saw – caught a glimpse of; said – gasped; answered – answered frantically; turned – turned sharply; saw – saw with horror; said – yelled; answered – retorted; pulled up – wrenched; stopped – stopped with a lurch; said – with a huge sigh of relief; said – said shakily
Exercise 6.8
Grading resource Examples
Graded core vocabulary terribly, searing, screams, assault, cry out Grading adverbials terribly, physically
Adjectival graders firsthand, sheer, deep, most, elemental
Listing The hurt, the humiliation, the degradation and the sheer brutality ...
Repetition cry out … cry out …
Lexical metaphor … it screams from the pages. These stories cry out to be heard …
Exercise 6.9
Sample answer:Late one night two adventurous but not so very smart young boys stole their father’s brand-new Mercedes Benz and drove it rather erratically through the streets of the town. After ten rather nervous minutes, they suddenly glimpsed a police car in the distance.
‘OMG!!!’ gasped Ethan, ‘What on earth will we do?’ ‘Turn here for goodness’ sake!’ John screamed. …
Exercise 6.4
Paragraph Target of evaluation Examples of Evaluative vocabulary (explicit)
Meaning category
1 The Cay (the book, story) thrilling appreciation
1 message powerful appreciation
2 Timothy wise, knowledgeable judgement
3 style fast-paced, detailed, vivid appreciation
4 book (novel) exciting appreciation
4 book (many of the scenes) in suspense affect
Exercise 6.5
Explicit Implicit
(judgements of Nanna Fejo’s capacity, tenacity and specialness)
Signals of implicit evaluation
*
elegant full of life lexical metaphor
eloquent in her 80s contextual clues (old = wise, innocent) wonderful full of funny stories, despite what has
happened in her life’s journey
behaviours associated with values + contrast (despite)
a woman who has travelled a long way to be with us today
behaviours associated with values
a member of the Stolen Generation contextual clues (= innocent in context of Apology)
Describing Nanna Fejo in such positive terms gives credibility to her story. This rhetorical strategy, called ‘ethos’ by Aristotle, is a very powerful way of for engaging and persuading audiences.
*
In addition to the signals of implicit evaluation noted above, the explicit values in the nearby text also serve to positively ‘colour’ the descriptions.Exercise 6.6
Paragraph Target of evaluation Examples of evaluative
vocabulary (explicit and implicit)
Grammatical category
1 title alerts the reader (positive
appreciation: implicit)
172 Working Grammar Answers 173
Exercise 7.5
Expressions of high modality of obligation in text 7.6: modal verb ‘must’ (used twice)
modal clauses ‘It is time to’ (repeated five times) and ‘The course of action is clear’ (used twice). Low modality of probability: ‘possible’.
Answers to questions:
Values of obligation are all high.
These values accumulate at the end of the text.
High values of modality of obligation are possible because a great deal of persuasive work has been done throughout the arguments of the exposition. Notice here also the combination of modality, evaluative vocabulary and grading resources such as repetition. The recommendation becomes a crescendo of the text.
Exercise 7.6
Reporting resource Grammatical resource Source
has reported saying verb Monash University study
fi ndings reporting noun Their (Monash University)
suggest saying verb Their (Monash University) findings
said reporting (saying) verb A representative from (Monash) University has called for reporting (saying) verb The (Monash) University
argue reporting (saying) verb researchers
argument reporting noun (Monash University researchers?)
the call reporting noun (Monash University researchers?)
support action verb Some parents and teachers
expressed disagreement reporting (saying) verb The majority of teenage population has responded reporting (saying) verb Kelly Brackenberry
the call reporting noun (Monash University researchers?)
statement reporting noun Kelly Brackenberry
like to say reporting (saying) verb I (Kelly)
argument reporting noun (Kelly?)
study reporting noun Monash University study
Exercise 7.1
Text 7.2 is more persuasive because it gives more weight to one position rather than just summarising the arguments. It draws on a range of resources: tempering opinions (modality), providing authority (citation), rebutting positions (contrast) and directly intruding the writer’s or speaker’s voice (comment and viewpoint adverbials). (Examples of these resources are provided after the exercise.)
Exercise 7.2
Text 7.3Literature has many forms and can do many things. It can make us cry, make us laugh, it can let us escape to a fantasy or awaken us from the illusions we might have of the world around us … but can it change the world? Can simple words written down change the way the world works and thinks? History shows us that the answer is yes.
The modal verbs ‘can’ and ‘might’ are of a relatively low value, which means that the writer’s opinion about the possible effects of literature are, at this stage of the text, presented as open to negotiation.
Exercise 7.3
High modality Medium modality Low modality
Modal verbs (auxiliaries) could, could, can, can, can may, might Modal adverbials definitely, certainly,
definitely, ultimately
probably
Modal adjectivals potential possible, possible
Modal nouns the need
Modal clauses and phrases
without doubt I believe it seems that
This suggests that Expository questions Are mobile phones a problem?
Mostly medium.
This writer uses a range of grammatical structures and degrees of modality of probability. This range is typical of argument texts which evaluate two sides of an issue. The range of modal resources is persuasive because it shows that the writer is open to arguments on both sides. However, as we will see later in this chapter, other rhetorical resources, such as contrast, help the writer to position the audience to agree with the final judgement.
Exercise 7.4
The obligation is towards the ‘strong’ end of the cline, particularly in the first sentence. Strong values of modality are typically found at the end of expositions, after the persuasive evidence has been introduced.
which expression and form in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest are characteristic or essential.’ Literature has many forms and can do many things. It can make us cry; it can make us laugh. It can let us escape to a fantasy or awaken us from the illusions we might have of the world around us. It lets us learn and understand the actions and values of our ancestors and share our own ideas with the generations to come. But
can it change the world? Can simple words written down change the way the world works and thinks? History shows us that the answer is yes. Great works that hold the ideas,
values and hopes of thousands or even millions of people have overthrown monarchies, freed countries from colonial bonds and enticed nations to a particular way of seeing the world. Such works include La Déclaration des Droits de l’Homme (Declaration of the Rights of Man) from the French Revolution, the American Declaration of Independence, the American Constitution and, more recently, Mein Kampf by Hitler.
Evaluative vocabulary:
explicit appreciation (grading underlined)—Great (works), permanent, universal, essential, simple
implicit appreciation (grading underlined)—narrowed down; it can make us cry; (works that) hold the ideas, values and hopes of thousands or even millions of people.
Jana draws on a range of rhetorical devices to introduce other voices, opinions and possibilities into the text both to give authority to her position and to rebut or challenge alternative positions. Initially, modality and expository questions are used to ‘open up space’ for alternative positions, and resources of contrast and high-status citations (‘History shows us’, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the American Declaration of Independence, the American Constitution and Hitler’s Mein Kampf) are used to ‘close down space’ and direct the audience towards the position of the writer. Throughout the text, explicit and implicit evaluative vocabulary is used to positively appraise the effects of literature (‘it can make us cry’, ‘Great works’), and grading, particularly through repetition and three-part lists (‘the ideas, valuse and hopes’), is used to build the positive evaluation towards the thesis statement.
Exercise 8.1
Table 8.1 on page 104 presents a summary of the key differences between the two texts.
Exercise 8.2
Main topic in paragraphs 1 and 8: theatrical techniques used in Environmental, Street and Event theatre.
Topics (subtopics) of paragraphs 2–6: (2–3) exaggeration (props, performances), (4) music (electric guitar), (5) planning (story development, rehearsal), (6) symbolism, (7) unison.
Exercise 8.3
Tree diagram to be structured as follows: trunk = works of literature
branches = Declaration of the Rights of Man, American Declaration of Independence, American Constitution, Mein Kampf
Note that in each argument paragraph of this exposition, Jana makes links between each of the texts and the changes they brought about. These changes (inspiring revolution, allowing the Holocaust) also play a part in organising the information within the text, although these ‘effects’ do not determine the paragraphing of the text.
Although most citations in the text come from Monash University researchers, it is the teenage voice which is given the last word in this discussion.
As is typical of media discussions, the writer’s opinion is not made explicit through a position stage. Nevertheless, the apparent objectivity of media reporting can be compromised by the way citations are introduced.
Exercise 7.7
Citation Grammatical
resource
Status of source
This phrase [every three seconds], popularised by the MakePovertyHistory campaign
reporting verb (action) High status (high-profile
organisation for target audience) [This phrase ... by the MakePovertyHistory
campaign …] shows the world
reporting verb (action) High status (as above)
it is a proven fact that reporting clause No source provided
it [the United Nations] has been calling for reporting (saying) verb High status (high-profile organisation)
There is a global call for an end to poverty. reporting noun High status (global) Billions of people are calling for reporting (saying) verb High status (high number)
Colin Powell said that reporting (saying) verb High status (high-profile individual)