topic

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A subject that people talk about, write about or study.

   Grammar: Countable: a topic, several topics.

   Patterns

   • a topic of conversation
   • a topic for something
   • on the topic of something

   Climate change was the main topic of the debate.

   Choose a topic for your essay by Friday.

   Money is a sensitive topic in many families.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   In grammar, the part of a sentence that the rest of it is about.

   Grammar: Technical sense used in linguistics.

   Patterns

   • the topic of a sentence

   In the sentence As for coffee, I prefer tea, coffee is the topic.

   Linguists study how a topic is introduced in speech.

   Some languages mark the topic with a special particle.

Word forms

Common combinations

a hot topic

Housing prices are a hot topic this year.

change the topic

He quickly changed the topic when his boss walked in.

a topic of conversation

The weather is a safe topic of conversation.

cover a topic

The lecture covers three topics.

stick to the topic

Please stick to the topic during the discussion.

a sensitive topic

Salary is a sensitive topic at work.

Synonyms and how they differ

subject

Subject is broader and can mean a school course, while topic is a specific thing under discussion.

theme

Theme is an underlying idea running through a work, while topic is simply what it is about.

issue

Issue implies a matter of debate or concern, whereas topic can be any neutral subject.

matter

Matter suggests something needing attention, while topic is neutral and general.

Word family

topical adjective

relating to current events

topically adverb

in a way that relates to a particular subject

off-topic adjective

not related to the subject being discussed

topicality noun

the quality of being current

Commonly confused: topic or tropic?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “topic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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