Participants, events and states
Roles of participants
What the sentence is about
Who or what are we saying something about?
topic
subject
Merkitys
A sentence can tell us what someone or something does, what it is like, or what happens to it. That person or thing is the center of the statement, even when it does not act. Languages may use word order or verb forms to link it to the statement, and some need no separate word when it is understood. Topic is the chosen starting point for a message and can be a different participant.
Näin tunnistat sen
Ask which person or thing is presented as doing something, being something, or having something happen to it, not just which one is mentioned first.