The rheme making devices.

The formal means of expressing the distinction between the theme and the rheme are (1) word-order patterns, (2) intonation contours, (3) constructions with introducers, (4) syntactic patterns of contrastive complexes, (5) constructions with articles and other determiners, (6) constructions with intensifying particles.

(1) The difference between the actual division of sentences signalled by the difference in their word-order patterns can be illustrated by transformations:

I.

The winner of the competition stood on the platform in the middle of the hall.– On the platform in the middle of the hall stood the winner of the competition.

Fred didn't notice the flying balloon. – The one who didn't notice the flying balloon was Fred.

Helen should be the first to receive her diploma. – The first to receive her diploma should be Helen.

In all the examples the rheme (expressed either by the subject or by an element of the predicate group) is placed towards the end of the sentence, while the theme is positioned at the beginning of it.

II.

It was unbelievable to all of them. – Utterly unbelievable it was to all of them.

Now you are speaking magic words, Nancy. – Magic words you are speaking now, Nancy.

You look so well! – How well you look!

In the given examples the rheme is positioned at the beginning of the sentence (emotive connotation)

(3) Among constructions with introducers, the there-pattern provides for the rhematic identification of the subject without emotive connotations:

A loud hoot came from the railroad. – There came a loud hoot from the railroad.

Emphatic discrimination of the rheme expressed by various parts of the sentence is achieved by constructions with the anticipatory it:

She had just escaped something simply awful. – It was something simply awful that she had just escaped.

(4) Syntactic patterns of contrastive complexes are used to expose the rheme of the utterance in cases when special accuracy of distinction is needed. This is explained by the fact that the actual division as such is always based on some sort of antithesis (contraposition), which in an ordinary speech remains implicit:

The costume is meant not for your cousin, but for you. – The costume, not the frock, is meant for you, my dear.

The strain told not so much on my visitor than on myself.– The strain of the situation, not the relaxation of it, was what surprised me.

(5) Definite determiners can serve as identifiers of the theme while the indefinite determiners serve as identifiers of the rheme:

The man walked up and down the platform. – A man walked up and down the platform.

The whole book was devoted to the description of a tiny island on the Pacific. – A whole book is needed to describe that tiny island on the Pacific.

I'm sure Nora's knitting needles will suit you. – I'm sure any knitting needles will suit you.

(6) Intensifying particles identify the rheme, commonly giving emotional colouring to the whole of the utterance:

Mr. Stores had a part in the general debate. – Even Mr. Stores had a part in the general debate.

Then he sat down in one of the armchairs. – Only then did he sit down in one of the armchairs.

We were impressed by what we heard and saw. – We were so impressed by what we heard and saw.

(2) Intonation as a means of realising the actual division, might not be confined to oral speech only. It is a universal means of expressing the actual division in all types and varieties of lingual contexts. This universal rheme-identifying function of intonation is described in terms of logical accent (rhematic accent). It is inseparable from the other rheme-identifying means described above, especially from the word-order patterns. Moreover, all such means in written texts in fact represent the logical accent, i.e. they indicate its position either directly or indirectly.

There is a strict distinguish between the elements immediately placed under the phonetical/technical stress, and the sentence segments which are identified as the informative centre of communication proper. Not only notional, but functional units as well can be phrasally stressed in an utterance, which in modern printed texts is shown by special graphical ways of identification, such as italics, bold type:

I can't bring along someone who isn't invited. – But I am invited!

Moreover, being a highly intelligent young woman, she'd be careful not to be the only one affected.

Not only phonetically stressed word-units are rhematically marked out. Functional elements cannot express any self-dependent nomination; they make up units of nomination together with the notional elements of utterances whose meanings they specify. Thus, the phrasal phonetical stress, technically making prominent some functional element identifies as rhematic the corresponding notional part (knot) of the utterance as a whole. These notional parts are real members of the opposition theme — rheme, not their functional constituents taken separately.

The actual division makes up part of syntactic predication. One of the most important manifestations of the immediate contextual relevance of the actual division is the regular deletion (ellipsis) of the thematic parts of utterances in dialogue speech:

You've got the letters? – In my bag.

How did you receive him? – Coldly.