Table 1 Theme types

Topical theme

Participant

Process

Circumstance

Interpersonal theme

Vocatives (e.g., John!, Madam!, …)

Modal or comment adjuncts (e.g., surely, probably, usually, …)

Finite elements (e.g., modal auxiliaries, ‘be’ auxiliary, …)

WH-question words (e.g., why, who, what, where, how)

Textual theme

Continuatives (e.g., well, yeah, …)

Conjunctions (e.g., and, or, but)

Conjunctive adjuncts (e.g., then, therefore, because, although, …)

Wh-relatives (e.g., which, who, …)