Grammar: Clause: Using the clause to organise text

Further reading

How do we identify the Theme of a clause?

These pages are for those of you who wish to deepen your knowledge of this area of the grammar. They are optional reading, and we suggest that you should only consult them after you have gained a good understanding of the previous explanations.

Below is a summary of how to identify the Theme in declarative mood, interrogative mood and imperative mood.

Identifying the Theme in declarative mood

The declarative is typically used to make Statements about the world around us. In face to face conversation we often talk about ourselves, so it is not surprising that pronouns such as I and you are often used as the Subject of the clause. Note that the Subject is the element that is chosen as Theme unless there is a good reason for choosing something else. Because this is the most usual or typical or expected pattern, we can call it the default or 'unmarked' pattern. The Subject can be a noun group (pronoun, common or proper noun) or a nominalisation in the form of a wh- clause. Here are some examples of unmarked Themes:

The writer can depart from this more typical pattern by putting an adverb group or prepositional phrase in Theme position. The technical term for this is the 'marked' pattern:

Sometimes the writer wants to focus on the direct object rather than the Subject. The direct object can be a noun group or a nominalisation in the form of a wh- clause:

Identifying the Theme in interrogative mood

The interrogative is typically used when we ask a Question. The natural starting point of a yes/no Question can be a finite verb such as a modal auxiliary (can, might) or an auxiliary verb (be, have, do):

Note that although the starting point is the part which tells us that it is a Question, the Theme may include the topic which is being developed.

The Theme of an open Question can be a wh- word (where, when, why, what, which, who, how):

Identifying the Theme in imperative mood

The typical function of an imperative clause is to give a Command or to make a suggestion. The basic meaning conveyed from the speaker's point of view is 'I want you to do something' or 'I want us to do something'. We might expect that the Theme is You for a Command or Let's for a suggestion. However, when we are making a Command, we do not normally include the You, and therefore the unmarked Theme is the finite verb. Here are some examples of unmarked Themes:

Here are some examples of marked Themes:

Note that the terms Command, New Information, Question, Statement and Theme are written with a capital to remind us that they are functional terms.