Grammar IV

Schedule
(First semester 2020)
Unit 2

Week 5 (April 27th-May 1st)

Monday 27th:

Introducing Unit 2 – Higher level Themes and New sections as resources to further
organize text. Different higher-level Themes and New sections: function and
linguistic properties. Reviewing nominalization and focusing on its role for
anticipation and distillation of meaning in text.

Students hand in Assignment 1

Assigned readings for Unit 2:

Martin and Rose (2006), chapter 6 on Higher-level Themes and Rhemes.
Thompson, Geoff (2013), chapter 6 on Special Thematic structures, section 6.4

Thursday 30th: Higher level Themes and Rhemes. Identifying Higher-level Themes
and Rhemes in texts and analyzing their function and properties. Improving
anticipation and distilation of information in texts through the production of higher
level Themes and Rhemes.

Week 6 (May 4th-May 8th)

Monday 4th: Introducing Special Thematic Structures. Predicated Theme and

Thematic equative (also Predicative Thematic equative). Their structure and
function in text. Practising identification and production of these Special Thematic
Structures (STSs).

Students are given instructions for Assignment 2 to be done individually and to be

handed in on Thursday, May 21st

Thursday 7th: Reviewing Predicated Theme and Thematic equative, and practicing
identification and production of these STSs. Introducing Thematized comment and
Preposed Theme (also counterpart structures) and analyzing their structure and
function. Practising identification and production of these structures.

Quiz 4 on Higher-level Themes (based on Martin and Rose and on

classnotes)

Week 7 (May 11th-May 15th) If no changes are made, week before may exams

Monday 11th: Practising identification and production of all STSs introduced so

far. Introducing Passive voice and “Existential There” as Special Thematic
Structures, focusing on their textual function. Practising identification and
production of these structures.

Thursday 14th: Reviewing all Special Thematic Structures. Practising

identification and production of these structures.

Quiz 5 on Special Thematic Structures, based on Thompson, 6.4

TA SESSION 3 on Special Thematic Structures studied by day of session. (date to

be decided upon)

Week 8 (May 18th – May 22nd) If no changes are made, may exams
1
Monday 18th: Class devoted to applying everything that has been seen so far to
improving one’s own text production and to discussing possible applications to
teaching