As you can see, although the adjective possible occurs in both sentences, it
means something very different in each case.
Specifically, sentence (a)
can be paraphrased as 'Maybe she didn't get the message', while a suitable
paraphrase for sentence (b) would be something like 'You can leave a
message'. Such observations have led pattern grammarians to propose
that it makes no sense to ask what possible means-indeed from a pattern
grammar perspective, the word-form possible does not mean anything at
all itself. Rather, pattern grammarians argue that the 'maybe' and 'you can' meanings in sentences (a) and (b) above are a property of tlie
combinations possible + that-clause and possible + to-infini[ive clause respectivel) :.
Pattern grammar is in many respects very similar to another approach
to grammar that is now very popular in cognitive linguiscics : construction
grammar. Two of the main differences between the two appraachcs are
that pattern grammar is based entirely on empirical observations derived
from corpus data, whereas construction grammar tends not to be, and
that construction grammar describes relationships between different
constructions (or patterns) whereas pattern grammar tends not to focus