emphasis by word order

Question 1

theme and rheme

Answer 1

• The theme/topic is typically the starting point of the clause, who or what the clause is ‘about’.
• The rheme/comment is the main part of the message, the important information given about that topic.

Question 2

types of emphasis

Answer 2

• end-focus: normal for English sentence structure
• fronting: The unusual placing of a sentence element (like O, C, A or even parts of the VP) at the beginning of a sentence
  => fronting, partial inversion, full inversion
• cleft sentences: divided focus
  => cleft, pseudo-cleft
• existential there

Question 3

fronting/inversion

Answer 3

to have inversion, you need to have fronting BUT fronting doesn’t automatically mean inversion

• obligatory complementation + S + V + obl. compl.: e.g. SVOA => ASVO (different order in German!!)
• full inversion:
  =>S is a noun/NP
  => verb is in simple present/past and has no further complementation
  => NO inversion if S is a pronoun (sentences can’t end in pronouns!)
• partial inversion: inversion of S and first aux/ do-form if there is no aux
  => front position contains negation/restriction or intensification (so + adj.)

Question 4

cleft sentences

Answer 4

• it-cleft-sentence: it + be + focus + clause
  => divided focus: on cleft element + normal end-focus
• pseudo-cleft: most often introduced by a what-clause
  => allows for end-focus + verb can be emphasised

Question 5

existential there

Answer 5

• every piece of information is new
• focus on the subject by locating it in the rheme of the clause instead of its usual position as the theme

! Attention !
There is our bus! => ‘there’ as adverbial of place, not a structure word