Continuous progression (constant Theme)
In this type, the same Theme, Mum, is maintained across a series of coordinated clauses, each with its own Rheme:
Mum was always a hard worker1 and (zero) had plenty of drive2 but, in a small way,
she was also proving to be quite a successful business woman.3
This type of progression can be diagrammed as follows. Note that the same Theme is maintained in the second clause by ‘zero anaphora’, which could be replaced by the corresponding pronoun she.
Mum (T1) was always a hard worker1 (R1) and (she)(T1) had plenty of drive(R2),2 but, in a small way, she(T1) was also proving to be quite a successful business woman (R3).3
Clause 1 Theme 1 + Rheme 1
Clause 2 Theme 1 + Rheme 2
Clause 3 Theme 1 + Rheme 3
In the illustrations of these two first types of thematic progression, we find that the progression is made on the basis of topic referent chains.
