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Subject, topic, or theme
A subject is a school subject or what is being talked about; a topic is a specific point of a talk or text; a theme is the central idea of a work.
Quick rule
School class, email line, or what is talked about: subject. The point of a talk or essay: topic. Central idea of a work: theme.
A school subject, the subject line of an email, or the thing being talked about. Also the subject of a sentence.
A specific thing that is talked or written about in a talk, class, essay or text.
The central idea that keeps coming back in a work (the theme of a book), or the decorative idea of an event.
How to choose
| Question | subject | topic | theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it a class you study at school (math, history)? | Yes | No | No |
| Is it the point a talk or essay is about? | SometimesSometimes | Yes | No |
| Is it the central idea that returns in a book or movie? | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
All three answer "what is it about?", but at different levels. A subject is the broad area or class, a topic is one point inside it, and a theme is the idea that runs through a work. Subject and topic overlap most.
How each one works
Subject
School subject
Math is my favorite subject.
change the subject: talk about something else
Please change the subject; I am tired of talking about work.
Email subject
Write a clear subject at the top of your email.
Topic
What a meeting is about
The topic of the meeting is the new budget.
Something to write about
Climate change is a popular topic for essays.
Several, one after another
We discussed several topics during lunch.
Theme
The central idea of a work
The theme of the book is friendship.
recurring theme: an idea that returns
Family is a recurring theme in her movies.
A design idea
The museum gave each room a different theme: sea, forest, desert.
What comes next
the subject of plus something
The subject of the lecture was ancient Egypt.
the topic of plus something
What is the topic of your project?
the theme of plus work
The theme of the song is hope.
Set phrases
Subject
- subject matter
- the thing a book, class or talk deals with
Topic
- off topic
- not related to what is being discussed
Theme
- theme park
- a large park with rides based on a story or idea
Almost the same
Let's change the subject.
What is talked about, in general.
Let's change the topic of the essay.
The specific point of the piece.
The topic of the film is a family dinner.
What it is about, concretely.
The theme of the film is forgiveness.
The idea running through it.
In a conversation
- A:
What subject are you studying this term?
- B:
Literature. My topic for the paper is a poem by Neruda.
- A:
What is the main theme of the poem?
- B:
Loneliness, I think. But I am still reading.
- A:
That sounds like a good topic. Do you want help?
- B:
Yes, please. Let us meet on Friday.
Common mistakes
Wrong: She studies four themes at school.
Right: She studies four subjects at school.
School classes are subjects. A theme is the central idea of a book, film or song.
Wrong: The email theme was "Meeting at 3".
Right: The email subject was "Meeting at 3".
The line at the top of an email is the subject. A theme is a central idea.
Memory trick
Ask what "the theme" is: a class or the line of an email (subject), a specific point of a talk or essay (topic), or the idea running through a work (theme). Changing the topic of conversation is change the subject.
It depends
- Subject or topic?
- For a talk or conversation, either can work. A topic is usually a specific point; a subject is broader.
- Theme beyond books
- A theme can also be a design idea for a place or event, such as a theme restaurant.
FAQ
Subject vs topic vs theme?
A subject is a broad area, a topic is a specific point, and a theme is the central idea of a work.
Subject vs theme: what is the difference?
A subject is what a text is about. A theme is the idea it keeps returning to.
Subject vs theme examples?
History is a school subject. Revenge can be the theme of a novel set in a history class.