This coding manual for classification of verbal response modes (VRM) deals with the following items: intellectual history; classificatory principles and the modes resulting from their intersections; a comparison of the VRM approach with other systems; topics and populations studied with the VRM system and discoveries about role relationships; explanation and examples of assumptions, definitions and classificatory principles; the division of discourse into units for VRM coding; rules and 'litmus tests' for the choice of proper code; preparation of raw data, training of coders, and codes for calculating reliability and aggregating data for statistical analysis.