M. Iriskulov, A. Kuldashev a course in Theoretical English Grammar Tashkent 2008

part is the “rheme”. 
The theme and the rheme of the sentence may or may not coincide with the 
subject and the predicate respectively. The actual division in which the “theme” is 
expressed by the subject and the “rheme” - by the predicate is called “direct”. Due 
to a certain context the order of actual division can be changed into the reverse 
one, in which the rheme is expressed by the subject, while the predicate exposes 
the theme. This kind of actual division is “inverted”, compare: 
a) This old photo wakes up my memories. – a case of “direct” actual division. The 
theme is expressed by the subject, while the rheme coincides with the predicate;
b) From behind the corner there appeared a smart car. – a case of “inverted” actual 
division. The rheme is expressed by the subject.
There are several formal means of expressing distinction between the theme 
and the rheme. They are word – order patterns, intonation contours, constructions 
with introducers, constructions with articles and other determiners, constructions 
with intensifying particles, constructions with contrastive complexes.
With the word – order patterns the rheme is placed towards the end of the 
sentence, while the theme is positioned at the beginning of it, when it is necessary, 
the inversion is used, e.g.: 
Theme / rheme
1. Jane stood in the center of the large hall. 
2. In the center of the large hall stood Jane.
Constructions with introducers, such as the there-patterns and it-patterns, 
help to identify the subject of the sentence (or maybe any other part of the 
sentence within the it-pattern) as its rheme, e.g.: 
3. There came a loud sound (rheme). 
4. It was him (rheme) who made the party a party. 
Determiners, among them the articles, used as means of forming certain 
patterns of actual division, divide their functions so that the definite determiners 
serve as identifiers of the theme while the indefinite determiners serve as 
identifiers of the rheme, e.g.: 
5. The man came up to me. 
6. A man came up to me.
Intensifying particles identify the rheme, e.g: 
7. Even she has done it come. 
8. He is being so kind. 
9. Only then did he realize the situation.
Syntactic patterns of contrastive complexes, based on some sort of antithesis, 
are employed to make explicative the inner contrast inherent in the actual 
division 10. This is a real story, not a fiction. 

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Intonation presents itself a universal means of expressing the actual division of 
a sentence in all types of contexts and known as logical accent. It is inseparable 
from the other rheme-identifying means mentioned above. 
The thematic reduction of responses in dialogue speech serves to identify the 
rheme of the sentence. In these cases the rheme is placed in isolation, e.g.: 
11. - Where did you see her last time? 
- London. 
12 - Shall we go out tonight? 
-Yes. The night club. 
Thus, we may conclude, that the actual division of the sentence is closely 
connected with the context of communication and enters the predicative aspect of 
the sentence. It meets the same function, which is to relate the nominative content 
of the sentence to reality.