noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ basic , central , dominant , important , key , main , major , overriding , underlying
▪ broad , general , overall
▪ common , popular , universal
▪
universal ~s of love and loneliness
▪ consistent , constant , familiar , favourite/favorite , recurrent , recurring
▪ related
▪ overarching , unifying
▪ contemporary
▪ historical , religious , etc.
▪ campaign , conference , research
▪ musical
▪
The movie's haunting musical ~ stayed in my head for days.
VERB + THEME
▪ address , continue , develop , discuss , examine , explore , have , introduce , reflect
▪
His later novels develop the ~ of alienation.
▪ warm to ( esp. BrE )
▪
‘Our work’, he continued, warming to his ~, ‘will be a milestone in scientific history.’
▪ identify
THEME + VERB
▪ emerge
▪
Several familiar ~s emerged from the discussion.
▪ run through sth
▪
The same ~s run through all her novels.
THEME + NOUN
▪ music , song ( esp. AmE ), tune ( esp. BrE )
▪ park , pub ( BrE ), restaurant
▪ party
PREPOSITION
▪ on the ~ of
▪
He gave a talk on the ~ of teenage unemployment.
PHRASES
▪ variations on a ~
▪
Most of the essays appear to be variations on a few central ~s.