Functional Grammar: theme vs rheme Maybe this question is too "techical", but can someone explain from a practical point of view the difference between "theme" and "rheme" according to Hallidayan functional grammar? I know that "theme" is the "topic" and "rheme" something like a comment about the topic, but is there any useful clue for distinguishing them in a clause? I would be very grateful for any help you could give me!