Cleft Sentences 🎯
Master the Art of Emphasis in English
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🎓 What are Cleft Sentences?
Cleft sentences are advanced grammatical structures that allow speakers to emphasize specific information by dividing a single clause into two parts. The term “cleft” comes from the verb “to cleave,” meaning “to split.”
Instead of saying “John bought the car yesterday,” we can emphasize different elements by restructuring the sentence into cleft forms, making our communication more sophisticated and precise.
📌 Why Use Cleft Sentences?
- ✓ Emphasis: Draw attention to specific information
- ✓ Contrast: Highlight differences or corrections
- ✓ Sophistication: Demonstrate advanced language proficiency
- ✓ Clarity: Make complex ideas more understandable
🔄 Normal vs. Cleft: The Transformation
NORMAL SENTENCE
John bought the car yesterday.
✗ No special emphasis
CLEFT SENTENCE
It was John who bought the car yesterday.
✓ Emphasizes “John”
Emphasize WHO
It was John who bought it.
Emphasize WHAT
It was the car that John bought.
Emphasize WHEN
It was yesterday that John bought it.
📚 Three Main Types of Cleft Sentences
IT-CLEFT SENTENCES
The Most Common Type
📐 Structure:
It + be + EMPHASIZED ELEMENT + that/who/which + rest of clause
Use who for people, that for things/time/place, which for things (formal)
🎯 Emphasizing a Person (Subject)
Normal:
Marie Curie discovered radium.
It-cleft:
It was Marie Curie who discovered radium.
🎯 Emphasizing an Object
Normal:
I need your support right now.
It-cleft:
It’s your support that I need right now.
🎯 Emphasizing Time
Normal:
The company went bankrupt in 2008.
It-cleft:
It was in 2008 that the company went bankrupt.
🎯 Emphasizing Place
Normal:
We first met at the conference.
It-cleft:
It was at the conference that we first met.
🎧 Listen to It-cleft examples with natural intonation
WH-CLEFT (PSEUDO-CLEFT)
Also Called “What-Cleft”
📐 Structure:
What + clause + be + EMPHASIZED ELEMENT
The emphasized element comes at the END for maximum impact
🎯 Emphasizing Actions/Things
Normal:
I need a holiday.
Wh-cleft:
What I need is a holiday.
🎯 Emphasizing Actions (with ‘do’)
Normal:
She forgot to lock the door.
Wh-cleft:
What she did was (to) forget to lock the door.
🎯 Emphasizing Reasons
Normal:
I resigned because of the toxic environment.
Wh-cleft:
What made me resign was the toxic environment.
🎯 Emphasizing Manner/Way
Normal:
He solved the problem creatively.
Wh-cleft:
How he solved the problem was creatively.
💡 Usage Tip: Wh-clefts often sound more natural and conversational than It-clefts. They’re particularly effective when you want to build up to the emphasized information.
🎧 Listen to Wh-cleft examples with natural intonation
REVERSED WH-CLEFT
Emphasis at the Beginning
📐 Structure:
EMPHASIZED ELEMENT + be + what + clause
More dramatic and emphatic – puts focus immediately at the start
Regular Wh-cleft:
What I need is more time.
Reversed:
More time is what I need.
Regular Wh-cleft:
What she wants is recognition.
Reversed:
Recognition is what she wants.
Regular Wh-cleft:
What bothered me most was his attitude.
Reversed:
His attitude is what bothered me most.
Regular Wh-cleft:
What matters most is honesty.
Reversed:
Honesty is what matters most.
🎧 Listen to Reversed Wh-cleft examples
🎯 Advanced Usage & Context
🔄 Correction & Contrast
Use cleft sentences to correct misunderstandings or contrast information:
A: Did Sarah break the vase?
B: No, it was Tom who broke it.
A: You need a new car.
B: What I need is a new job, not a car.
📝 Academic Writing
Perfect for thesis statements and arguments:
It is the methodology that distinguishes this research from previous studies.
What makes this approach innovative is its interdisciplinary nature.
💼 Business Communication
Add authority and precision to professional discourse:
It was Q3 that showed the most significant growth.
What we need to focus on is customer retention.
📖 Storytelling & Drama
Create suspense and emphasis in narratives:
It was at that moment that everything changed.
What happened next was completely unexpected.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ INCORRECT
It is John that breaks the window.
✗ Wrong tense in relative clause
What I want is going home.
✗ Should use infinitive
It was yesterday when I saw him.
✗ Use “that” for time, not “when”
✅ CORRECT
It was John who broke the window.
✓ Correct past tense
What I want is to go home.
✓ Correct infinitive form
It was yesterday that I saw him.
✓ Correct use of “that”
⚡ Key Rules to Remember:
- • The verb tense in the relative clause must match the time reference
- • Use “who” for people, “that” for things/time/place in It-clefts
- • In Wh-clefts with “want/need,” use infinitive (to + verb)
- • Don’t overuse cleft sentences – they lose impact if used too frequently
💪 Interactive Practice Exercises
Transform the following sentences into cleft sentences for emphasis:
1. Einstein developed the theory of relativity. (Emphasize “Einstein” using It-cleft)
2. I want your honest opinion. (Transform into Wh-cleft)
3. The pandemic changed our work culture. (Emphasize “the pandemic”)
4. She missed the deadline. (Use Wh-cleft to emphasize the action)
5. We met in Paris in 2019. (Emphasize “in Paris” using It-cleft)
📋 Quick Reference Summary
It-Cleft
Structure:
It + be + focus + who/that/which + clause
Example: It was John who called.
Wh-Cleft
Structure:
What + clause + be + focus
Example: What I need is time.
Reversed Wh
Structure:
Focus + be + what + clause
Example: Time is what I need.
🎯 When to Use Each Type
It-Cleft:
- • Formal contexts
- • Academic writing
- • Strong emphasis needed
Wh-Cleft:
- • Conversational style
- • Building suspense
- • Natural speech
Reversed Wh:
- • Dramatic effect
- • Immediate emphasis
- • Rhetorical power
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