Almost each sentence contains 2 types of information: the old, already known & the new, unknown one. Actual division of sentence shows, studies the role of different parts of the sentence in conveying these 2 types of info, deals with informational perspective in the sentence. The part of the sentence containing the old info is called the theme. The part of the sentence containing the new info is called rheme. If the sentence is long enough between the theme & the rheme there may be transitional part of the actual division of this sentence which is called the transition. In many sentences the theme is placed at the beginning of the sentence & very often coincides with subject of the sentence, rheme is placed at the end, if the sentence is unexpanded coincides with the predicate. They (theme) went out (rheme). /In MnE there are several ways of showing that a word or a phrase corresponds either to the theme or rheme or ways of finding them in the sentence: 1.emphatic construction-it is that, it is who, it is which-shows to the rheme of the sentence 2.the use of articles: indefinite-rheme, definite-theme. Near our house there is a new shop. The new shop is near our house. 3.only, alone, even, just-show to the rheme. Even now we don’t know the whole truth. 4.Detached parts of the sentence always show to the theme. His likes, his dislikes(theme)-no one knew them better(transition) than he did (rheme). /at the beginning of the text in its 1st opening sentence the theme doesn’t represent smth already known but is simply the starting point of the text. The weather (theme) that day (was beautiful-rheme).
