Sunday 2 June 2013

Extending A Process: Conation

Halliday & Matthiessen (2004: 501):
Here the basic notion is that of ‘have (possession) + do’; in other words, success. The semantic relation between the primary and the secondary verbal group is one of conation: trying and succeeding. (The verb of the primary verbal group is usually one that can serve in a ‘behavioural’ clause.)