The sentence is characterised by its specific category of predication. Predication establishes the relation of the named phenomena to actual life.
The general semantic category of modality is also defined by linguists as exposing the connection between the named objects and surrounding reality. However, modality, as different from predication, is not specifically confined to the sentence; this is a broader category revealed both in the grammatical elements of language and its lexical, purely nominative elements. Thus every word expressing a definite correlation between the named substance and objective reality should be recognised as modal namely:
1) lexemes of full notional standing (as probability, desirability, necessity etc) with all the derivationally relevant words;
2) semi-functional words and phrases of probability and existential evaluation (perhaps, may be, by all means, etc.);
3) word-particles of specifying modal semantics (just, even, would-be, etc.);
4) modal verbs expressing a range of modal meanings.
Predication proper embodies not any kind of modality, but only syntactic modality as the fundamental distinguishing feature of the sentence. It is the feature of predication, fully and explicitly expressed by a contextually relevant grammatical complex, that identifies the sentence in distinction to any other combination of words having a situational referent.
The centre of predication in a sentence of verbal type (the predominant type of sentence-structure in English) is a finite verb. The finite verb expresses essential predicative meanings by its categorial forms (primarily the categories of tense and mood). However predication is effected not only by the forms of the finite verb, but also by all the other forms and elements of the sentence establishing the connection between the named objects and reality (intonation, word order, different functional words). Besides the purely verbal categories, in the predicative semantics are included such syntactic sentence meanings as purposes of communication (declaration — interrogation — inducement), modal probability, affirmation and negation.
1.3. Actual Division of the Sentence (J. Mathesius): General Notion
Taken together the notional parts of the sentence referring to the basic elements of the reflected situation form the nominative meaning of the sentence. The division of the sentence into notional parts can be called the nominative division (grammatical division/syntactic division).
Alongside of the nominative division of the sentence, the idea of the actual division of the sentence has been put forward in theoretical linguistics. The purpose of the actual division of the sentence (the functional sentence perspective) is to reveal the correlative significance of the sentence parts from the point of view of their actual informative role in an utterance, i.e. from the point of view of the semantic contribution they make to the total information conveyed by the sentence in the context of connected speech. Thus the actual division of the sentence exposes its informative perspective.
The main components of the actual division of the sentence are the theme and the rheme.
The theme expresses the starting point of the communication, it denotes an object or a phenomenon about which something is reported.
The rheme expresses the basic informative part of the communication, its contextually relevant centre.
Between the theme and the rheme are positioned transitional parts of the actual division of various degrees of informative value (these parts are sometimes called transition).
The theme of the actual division of the sentence may or may not coincide with the subject of the sentence. The rheme of the actual division may or may not coincide with the predicate of the sentence (either with the whole predicate group or its part, such as the predicative, the object, the adverbial):
Thus, in the following sentences of various emotional character the theme is expressed by the subject, while the rheme is expressed by the predicate:
I. The theme is expressed by the subject
Max bounded forward. (the rheme coincides with the whole predicate group)
Again Charlie is being too clever! (the adverbial introducer again is a transitional element, the rheme is expressed by the rest of the predicate group, the main part of the rheme/the peak of informative perspective is rendered by the intensified predicative too clever).
Her advice can't be of any help to us. (the addressee object to us is transitional, the informative peak is expressed by the predicative of any help)
In the following sentences the correlation between the nominative and actual divisions is the reverse:
II. The theme is expressed by the predicate or its part, the rheme is rendered by the subject:
Through the open window came the purr of an approaching motor car.
Who is coming late but John!
There is a difference of opinion between the parties.
The actual division of the sentence finds its full expression only in a concrete context of speech (the contextual division of the sentence):
Mary is fond of poetry (if we approach it as a stylistically neutral construction devoid of any specific connotations, the theme is expressed by the subject, and the rheme, by the predicate) – direct actual division (the rheme is expressed by the predicate)
Isn't it surprising that Tim is so fond of poetry? – But you are wrong. Mary is fond of poetry. (the subject is the rheme, the predicate is the exposer of the theme) – inverted actual division (the rheme is expressed by the subject).
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