Editing Topic and comment (section)

=== In English ===
In English the topic/theme comes first in the clause, and is typically marked out by intonation as well.<ref>MAK Halliday (1994). ''An introduction to functional grammar'', 2nd ed., Hodder Arnold: London, p. 37</ref>

English is quite capable of using a topic-prominent formulation instead of a subject-prominent formulation when context makes it desirable for one reason or another. A typical pattern for doing so is opening with [[wikt:Thesaurus:about|a class of prepositions such as: ''as for'', ''as regards'', ''regarding'', ''concerning'', ''respecting'', ''on'', ''re'', and others]]. [[Pedagogy|Pedagogically]] or [[rhetorical modes#Exposition|expositorily]] this approach has value especially when the speaker knows that they need to [[attention management|lead the listener's attention]] from one topic to another in a deftly efficient manner, sometimes actively avoiding misplacement of the focus of attention from moment to moment. But whereas topic-prominent languages might use this approach by default or obligately, in subject-prominent ones such as English it is merely an option that often is not invoked.