Interpersonal Grammatical Metaphor in EFL Academic Writing: Theory and Pedagogical Applications

Abstract

Interpersonal Grammatical Metaphor (IGM) is an important concept in Systemic Functional Linguistics. It refers to the expression of interpersonal meanings such as modality, obligation, and attitude through indirect or incongruent grammatical structures instead of direct modal verbs or mood choices. This paper first introduces the basic theory of IGM and then explores its applications in EFL academic writing instruction. IGM enables writers to express politeness, hedge claims, enhance objectivity, and improve the overall formality of academic texts. However, many EFL students tend to rely heavily on simple congruent forms, which makes their writing sound too direct, personal, or informal. This paper suggests practical teaching methods, including awareness-raising activities, contrastive rewriting exercises, and guided production tasks. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and classroom practice and help teachers improve students' academic writing skills.