Meaning & use
themes and sub-themes
Last updated
Meaning
nounpluralformal
The main ideas and the smaller related ideas within a text, study, or discussion.
Grammar: Always plural; used to talk about a set of main ideas and their subdivisions.
Patterns
- identify themes and sub-themes
- themes and sub-themes of something
The researcher identified three main themes and several sub-themes in the interviews.
In your essay, you should discuss the themes and sub-themes of the novel.
The report is organized around key themes and sub-themes.
Common combinations
- identify themes and sub-themes
- The first step is to identify themes and sub-themes in the data.
- major themes and sub-themes
- The paper outlines the major themes and sub-themes of the study.
- themes and sub-themes emerge
- Several themes and sub-themes emerged from the analysis.
Synonyms and how they differ
- topics and subtopics
- Used in general contexts, not specifically in literary or research analysis.
Commonly confused: themes and sub-themes or theme?
themes and sub-themes vs theme
Theme is a single main idea; 'themes and sub-themes' refers to a structured set of main and secondary ideas.
Practice
In which context is 'themes and sub-themes' most commonly used?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is typical of academic writing, such as literary analysis or qualitative research, where main ideas and their subdivisions are discussed. It is not used in recipes, weather reports, or sports commentary.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “themes and sub-themes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.