Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

theme/topic

rheme/comment

Sue

| is starting a new job on Monday.

the clause is ‘about’ Sue, and the new or important information is that she is

starting a new job on Monday. In English, the theme/topic is located in the

beginning of the clause (and is most typically the subject), while the

rheme/comment occupies the latter part of the clause after the subject. 

The end of the clause is important in English, as that is where the most ‘weight’

falls in terms of the focus on new information, sometimes referred to as

endweight.

Marked and unmarked word order

Unmarked word order refers to the normal, most typical sequence of elements.

For example, the unmarked word order for a declarative clause with an object is

S

–

V

–

O

, where 

S

is the subject, 

V

is the verb and 

O

is the object. In English, the word

order 

O

–

S

–

V

is marked (possible but far less typical):