Comparison of the Grammatical Patterns - Essay Example

This essay gives a comparison of two advertisements from two different magazines. The magazines are Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine, in which one dates April 27, 2013, and the other dates May 4, 2013. The two advertisements are both promoting a product, but the different writers bring up their different contexts. The texts are promoting their products before the mother’s day. One advertisement promotes a candle from Ecoya (Ecoya Madison Candle) while the other promotes a coffee making machine from Woolworths fresh promotion. This essay gives a comparison of the grammatical patterns, showing the relationship between the grammatical choices and the context and purpose of the writer.

The primary aim of the texts is selling their product in the advertisement context of the weekend magazine. From the experiential meaning-grammatical pattern analysis, there is a similarity in the choices that the writers have made. They have both used a lot of material processes, but none of them has used many circumstances. Nevertheless, there is no similarity shared in the participant roles, and the interpersonal meaning examination shows differences which are significant in the text patterns more so on the subjects of the clauses and the mood choice.

The writer of the Woolworths text gives more information about the product and extensive information on how it operates and the capabilities. This can be reflected from the grammatical patterns in the experiential meaning and the interpersonal meaning. From the experiential meaning, there are 11 material processes, out of the 22 clauses in the material. The text gives information on how things are supposed to be done. The reader is given an assurance that this machine is the best for a mum and is recommendable for any coffee type that she loves. Most of the text gives an explanation of how the machine can be used. The language used leaves the reader to make a decision based on the qualities outlined. The language used in this text is not very persuasive but rather descriptive.

From the interpersonal meaning, the writer uses clause 1 and 2 to capture the attention of the reader. He mentions the promotion in clause 1 and clause two he says “café-quality coffee in your kitchen” ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen," 2013). Using these clauses he captures the reader’s attention. In clause 8 and 15, the writer chooses to use the intensity mood adjunct ‘simply’ to try to bring out how easy it is to use and operate the coffee machine. Clause 17 also gives the machine, as a carrier, an attribute of being simple and easy. This makes the machine available for use by any person.

The interpersonal meaning analysis gives support to the thought that the writer wanted to give more explanation on the machine and its operation. Ten clauses in the Woolworths text are imperatives, with six declarations regarding mood choice, of all the 22 clauses. The writer is using the imperative mood choice to give directions on how to use and operate the machine. He also uses the declarative mood choice to give out facts about the machine ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen", 2013). The tense used is also mostly present, which gives the text an instant sense.

In comparison to Woolworths, ecoya text shows various similarities in the grammatical structure. From the experiential meaning, for example, we have the majority of the processes being material. 15 of the 33 clauses are material processes. However, unlike the Woolworths text which gave more of happenings and what to happen, the ecoya text gives more of imaginations rather than performing material processes. Distance is therefore created between the activities and the reader. The writer wants the reader to value the person he is buying the product for much more so as to consider buying the product for her. The writer is very specific on the intended group. He knows perfectly well that the product has no much meaning to the buyer, but is has more meaning to the person being bought for. He, therefore, exploits this opportunity, using grammar to make the buyer value the person intended for so that he can buy the product for her. This grammatical pattern is used by the writer to entice the readers to make them feel important when they buy the product. The writer attaches meanings to the type of product that they are offering.

Unlike the Woolworths text, the ecoya text does not give a lot of information about the product, but rather uses a very convincing and persuasive language to attract the readers. Another notable pattern in experiential meaning is that the sensor or actor mostly in the text is “you”, the reader. This pattern signifies that the writer has chosen to compel or invite the reader to be part of the created scene.

In clause 1, the writer starts by reminding the reader that it is not just a normal day but a mother’s day, and brings forth the offer in clause 2. On clause 3, he gives a question to the reader, “so which one will you give to her?” This gives the reader options within the products they offer, where he has to buy one ("this mother's day, buy an ecoya Madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013). This is very compelling and convincing to the reader.

Moreover, the writer has used location and time in most of the circumstances. This is used because the writer wants the reader to think about it in the manner that their experience is being sold to the environment. Since there is a unique outback, a conscious decision has been made by the writers to steer the imaginations of the readers towards extraordinary away from ordinary.

The interpersonal meaning analysis gives a distinct grammatical pattern of the ecoya text. Unlike the Woolworths text, the ecoya text employs a lot of interrogative mood choice. This is used to enhance the relationship between the reader and the person he is buying for. It enhances the emotional feeling which will be useful to the business. The declarative mood choice is the one used mostly in the text, but unlike the Woolworths text, most of it is used for imaginations and throwbacks. In clause 8 “guess” is used by the writer as an interpersonal grammatical metaphor to mean “probably,” which gives it a mood adjunct of probability. Similarly, clause 23 treats “bet” as an interpersonal grammatical metaphor to mean almost certainly. Like clause 8, a mood adjunct of probability is used ("this mother's day, buy an ecoya Madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013).

Both of the above texts were drafted for the purpose of advertising on the weekend magazine, but an interesting diversity is brought up by the different writers. The same building blocks were used for the grammatical construction of both the texts. Through the use of the grammatical constructions, one text gave a lot of concentration on the machine leaving the reader inactive while the other required both action and information from the reader.

Experiential meaning charts

Text 1: Woolworths caffitaly

Material process

Cl#

Type

Actor

Goal

Range

Circumstance type

4

Ind

her

Caffitaly system S14

Circ: Accompaniment

6

Dep

offering

A popular coffee system

Circ: Extent

7

Ind

Caffitaly

coffee

Circ: Manner

8

Ind

pod machine

Water

Circ: manner

9

Ind

Either a select coffee machine or Gloria Jean’s Coffee capsule

Carouse;

10

Ind

cup

Under the spout

11

dep

Brewed coffee

Circ: manner

15

Ind

Fresh milk

To the roster

Circ: manner

16

Ind

it

On

20

Ind

In-store

21

Dep

Yours

Up

Source: ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen", 2013)

Mental Process

Cl#

Type

Senser

Phenomenon

Circumstance type

13

Dep

you

Your coffee

Circ: manner

Source: ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen", 2013)

Relational attributive process

Cl#

Type

Carrier

Attribute

Circumstance type

17

Ind

It

Simple and easy

19

Ind

The Caffitaly system S14

Only available at Woolworths

Source: ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen", 2013)

Relational Identifying process

Cl#

Type

Token

Value

Circumstance type

3

Dep

Your mom

A fan of delicious café-style coffee

18

Ind

This

Exclusive to Woolworths

Source: ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen", 2013)

Existential Process

Cl#

Type

Existent

Circumstance type

1

Minor clause

Woolworths new promotion

2

Minor clause

Café-quality coffee

Circ: location

5

Minor clause

Caffitaly system S14

12

Minor clause

Milk frother machine

22

Ind

Woolworths coffee capsules and Gloria Jean’s Coffee Capsules

Circ: location

Source: ("Woolworths fresh promotion - Cafe-Quality Coffee in Your Kitchen", 2013)

Text 2: Ecoya Madison Candle

Material process

Cl#

Type

Actor

Goal

Range

Circumstance type

1

Ind

Ecosa Madison Candle

Circ: time

2

Ind

Free Ecoya Mini

3

Ind

You

Her

Which one

4

Ind

You

Her

Big one

12

Ind

You

Her

The little one

18

Dep

Yourself

19

Dep

Opportunities

20

Dep

They

Circ: time

22

Ind

You

Out of home

Circ: time

23

Ind

You

Out of Home

Circ: time

26

Ind

Mum

Your certificates, trophies, everything [[26.1you ever received]] [[26.2that said 26.2.1“you’re a winner”.]]

27

Ind

The Madison

32

Ind

Offer

Circ: time

35

Ind

Ecoya.com

36

Dep

Circ: Location

("this mother's day, buy an ecoya Madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013)

Mental Process

Cl#

Type

Senser

Phenomenon

Circumstance type

10

Ind

Mum

Her big, 80 hour burn time Ecoya Madison Candle

11

Ind

You

Mini and the fact [[12.1that you made mum happy]]

25

Ind

Don’t

29

Ind

She

The thought behind it

("this mother's day, buy an ecoya madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013)

Relational Attributive process

Cl#

Type

Carrier

Attribute

Circumstance type

9

Ind

She

A box full of crayon drawings [[10.1 you did of her]]

Circ: Location

("this mother's day, buy an ecoya Madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013)

Relational Identifying Process

Cl#

Type

Token

Value

Circumstance type

5

Ind

You

The best child

Circ: location

6

Ind

You

The one [[6.1who let Mum take the biggest piece of your birthday cake, 6.2who tidied your room 6.2.1without being asked, 6.3who knew [[6.3.1when to say please and thank you]] and [[6.3.2when to mind your Ps and Qs]] ]]

13

Ind

You

Smart

14

Ind

You

Independent

16

Dep

Which

Everything [[16.1you learned from Mum]]

28

Ind

It

[[28.1what mum would want]]

("this mother's day, buy an ecoya madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013)

Existential Process

Cl#

Type

Existent

Circumstance type

30

Minor clause

Ecoya

31

Minor clause

Ecoya.com

34

Minor clause

Participating stores only

("this mother's day, buy an ecoya madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013)

Bahavioural Process

Cl#

Type

Behaver

Behaviour

Circumstance type

7

Ind

you

Mum

8

Ind

you

Her

Circ: Extent

15

Ind

You

Life

Circ: manner

17

Ind

She

You

21

Ind

She

You

Circ: accompaniment

24

Ind

You

("this mother's day, buy an ecoya madison candle & get a free ecoya mini", 2013)

Interpersonal meaning charts

Text 1: woolworths text

Cl#

type

Mood choice

Subject

Tense finite

Past

Modal Finite

Pres.

Mood adj.

Fut.

Comm.

Adj.

Prob.

Gram Met

Oblig.

pol

Obl.

1

Minor clause

Non finite

Woolworths

2

Minor clause

Decl.

Coffee

√

3

Dep

Subj.

Mum

√

4

Ind

Imp.

Her

√

5

Minor clause

Non finite

Caffitaly

6

Dep

Imp.

Coffee

√

7

Ind

Decl.

Caffitaly

√

8

Ind

Imp.

√

9

Ind

Imp.

Coffee Capsule

√

10

Ind

Imp.

Cup

√

11

Dep

Non finite

Coffee

√

12

Minor clause

Non finite

Machine

13

Dep

Subj.

You

√

14

Ind

Imp.

Milk

√

15

Ind

Imp.

Milk

√

16

Ind

Imp.

It

√

17

Ind

Decl.

It

√

18

Ind

Decl.

This

√

19

Ind

Decl.

Caffitaly System S14

√

20

Ind

Imp.

√

21

Dep

Imp.

Yours

√

22

Ind

Decl.

Coffee Capsules

√

Text 2: Ecoya text

Cl#

type

Mood choice

Subject

Tense finite

Past

Modal Finite

Pres.

Mood adj.

Fut.

Comm.

Adj.

Prob.

Gram Met

Oblig.

pol

Obl.

1

Ind.

Imp.

Candle

√

2

Ind.

Decl.

Ecoya

√

3

Ind.

Interg.

One

√

4

Ind.

Interg.

Her

√

5

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

6

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

7

Ind.

Interg.

You

8

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

Guess

9

Ind.

Decl.

She

√

10

Ind.

Decl.

Mum

√

11

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

12

Ind.

Interg.

You

√

13

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

14

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

15

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

16

Dep.

Decl.

You

√

17

Ind.

Decl.

She

√

18

Dep.

Decl.

√

19

Dep.

Decl.

√

20

Dep.

Decl.

They

√

21

Ind.

Decl.

She

√

22

Ind.

Interg.

You

√

23

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

Bet

24

Ind.

Decl.

You

√

Weren’t

25

Ind.

Imp.

√

Don’t

26

Ind.

Decl.

Mum

√

27

Ind.

Imp.

√

28

Ind.

Decl.

It

√

29

Ind.

Decl.

She

√

30

Minor clause

Not finite

Ecoya

31

Minor clause

Not finite

Ecoya.com

32

Ind.

Decl.

offer

√

33

Dep.

Decl.

Stock

√

34

Minor clause

Not finite

35

Ind.

Imp.

√

36

Dep.

Not finite

√

37

Dep.

Not finite

√