Grammar

Cleft Sentences

Cleft sentences split one idea into two clauses to emphasise a particular element. 'It-clefts' begin with 'It is/was', and 'what-clefts' (pseudo-clefts) begin with a 'what'-clause.

Post

Level C1 Sentence Structure & Emphasis

Summary

Cleft sentences split one idea into two clauses to emphasise a particular element. 'It-clefts' begin with 'It is/was', and 'what-clefts' (pseudo-clefts) begin with a 'what'-clause.

Structure

It + be + emphasised element + that/who ... ; What + clause + be + element

Examples

It was Maria who solved the problem.
It's the noise that bothers me, not the people.
What I need is a long holiday.
What surprised us was how calm she stayed.

Common mistakes

• Mismatching the verb in what-clefts: 'What I need are a holiday' should be 'is a holiday'.
• Overusing clefts so that nothing stands out as emphasised.

Related

Fronting and Emphasis Inversion After Negative Adverbials

More sentence structure & emphasis

Basic Word Order A1

English statements normally follow subject + verb + object order. Adverbs and time expressions go in fixed positions rather than between the verb and its object.

And, But, Or A1

These conjunctions join words, phrases, or clauses. 'And' adds, 'but' contrasts, and 'or' offers a choice.

Inversion After Negative Adverbials C2

When a negative or restrictive adverbial begins a sentence for emphasis, the subject and auxiliary invert as in a question. This is a formal, dramatic device.

Subjunctive / Were C1

English keeps a small subjunctive. The present subjunctive uses the base verb after verbs of demand or suggestion, and the past subjunctive 'were' is used for all persons in unreal conditions.

Ellipsis and Substitution C1

To avoid repetition, English omits words (ellipsis) or replaces them with shorter forms like 'so', 'do', 'one', and 'neither' (substitution). Both keep sentences economical and cohesive.

Fronting and Emphasis C1

Fronting moves a word or phrase to the start of a sentence to give it emphasis or to improve cohesion. The element is highlighted simply by its unusual position.

External links

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