Topic and focus
Definition
Topic is what a sentence or stretch of discourse is presented as being about. Focus is the information given greatest prominence, often because it is new, contrasting, corrective, or especially important.
Examples
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As for the budget, Maya will discuss it tomorrow.
The opening phrase establishes the budget as the topic.
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Maya ordered the BLUE folder, not the green one.
Contrastive stress places focus on the selected folder.
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What we need is more time.
The pseudo-cleft structure places focus on more time.
Neutral order vs. marked information structure
Maya will discuss the budget tomorrow.
The sentence uses ordinary subject–verb–object order without specially marking the topic.
The budget, Maya will discuss tomorrow.
Fronting establishes the budget as the topic before the comment about it.
Marked word order and special sentence shapes can guide attention, but the intended interpretation also depends on context and speech stress.
Topic is not the same as grammatical subject
The subject often functions as the topic, but English can place another element in topic position through fronting, left dislocation, passive voice, or a framing expression. Focus can be marked by stress, position, or a cleft structure.
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This old laptop, I only use for travel.
The direct object is fronted as the topic.
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It was LEO who changed the schedule.
The it-cleft marks Leo as contrastive focus.
Common mistakes
Assuming the first noun is always both the subject and the topic.
Identify grammatical structure and information structure separately.
A fronted object or framing phrase may be the topic without being the subject.
Using an unusual word order without a clear discourse reason.
Use marked word order when context supports a topic or focus contrast.
Fronting and clefting are meaningful choices, not interchangeable decoration.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which expression explicitly establishes a topic?
As for the schedule frames the following comment around that topic.Which structure places focus on Maya?
The it-cleft isolates Maya as the focused element.Which statement about topic and subject is accurate?
Information structure and grammatical function must be analyzed separately.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
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