theme
part of speech
noun (theme, themes); adjective use (theme park, theme song); verb (themed — decorated in one style)
meaning for a pupil
1) A theme is the main subject or idea of a talk, book, lesson, party or piece of art. tree →
2) A theme is a big message or lesson a story is about, such as friendship, courage or kindness. tree →
3) A theme tune or theme song is the music always played with a TV show or film. tree →
sense in the lessons
In English lessons, pupils find the theme of a story: not what happens (the plot) but what it is really about, like «good wins over evil» or «be yourself». At school, topics can have themes (a space-themed week). In everyday life, theme parks (Disneyland), themed birthday parties and theme songs. Phrases: the theme of, main theme, theme park, theme tune, themed party.
examples
- The theme of the story is friendship. tree →
- Our class party had a pirate theme. tree →
- We went on the big rides at the theme park. tree →
- I can hum the theme tune of that show. tree →
- Courage is a theme in many fairy tales. tree →
- The theme for this term's art project is the sea. tree →
- What do you think is the main theme of the poem? tree →
- Thus ends this charming story, which was a favourite theme with all the classic authors. tree →
note
Pronounced «theem» with soft th. Countable: themes. Trap: theme is not the same as plot — the plot is what happens, the theme is the idea underneath. Adjective: thematic; «themed» means decorated around a theme.
In the corpora
- An "E" next to a song means explicit, usually swearing or adult themes; many songs have a clean version.
- Mia organised a building competition with three themes and a fair rule: nobody judges their own build.
- A theme park posts its wait time, 45 minutes, so you can choose another ride.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «theme» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.