Meaning & use
running themes
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Meaning
nounplural
Ideas or subjects that appear again and again in a book, film, talk, or situation.
Grammar: Always plural; use 'a running theme' for one repeated idea.
Patterns
- running themes in something
- a running theme of something
- recurring running themes
Loss and memory are running themes in the novel.
The teacher pointed out the running themes in the students' essays.
Running themes of hope and fear run through the whole film.
Common combinations
- running themes in the novel
- Running themes in the novel include friendship and betrayal.
- a running theme of the discussion
- A running theme of the discussion was the need for better funding.
- identify running themes
- The class worked in groups to identify running themes in the poem.
- common running themes
- Common running themes in his work are loneliness and travel.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recurring themes
- Very similar; 'recurring' stresses that they come back repeatedly, while 'running' often suggests they continue throughout.
- motifs
- More technical and used especially in art and literature for repeated images or symbols, not just ideas.
Word family
- running theme noun
- Singular form for one repeated idea.
Commonly confused: running themes or theme?
running themes vs theme
A single theme is one main idea; 'running themes' are several ideas that keep coming back.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'running themes' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Running themes' is plural and refers to several repeated ideas, so 'There are several running themes...' is correct. Option A uses a plural subject with 'is', and option D treats the phrase as a title.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “running themes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.