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CLEFT SENTENCES THEORY

Cleft sentences are complex structures in English that emphasize specific parts of a statement by dividing it into two parts. They can be categorized into it-cleft sentences, wh-cleft sentences, and those starting with certain expressions like 'all' or 'the reason.' These sentences are commonly used in both written and spoken language to highlight new information and add emotional emphasis.

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29 views

CLEFT SENTENCES THEORY

Cleft sentences are complex structures in English that emphasize specific parts of a statement by dividing it into two parts. They can be categorized into it-cleft sentences, wh-cleft sentences, and those starting with certain expressions like 'all' or 'the reason.' These sentences are commonly used in both written and spoken language to highlight new information and add emotional emphasis.

Uploaded by

Adrià JT
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CLEFT SENTENCES

Types of cleft sentences

There are several types of cleft sentences, depending on how they


start and what structure they follow:

 Cleft sentences that begin with "it"

 Cleft sentences that begin with "what" or other question words

 Cleft sentences that begin with certain expressions (e.g., "all I


need," "the thing," "the reason why")

It-cleft sentences

One of the most common types is the it-cleft sentence. These


sentences consist of two parts, each containing a verb, and
emphasize the part that follows "it."

Typical structure:

It + be + emphasized phrase + subordinate clause (that /


who / which / where / when)

Example:

My sister bought delicious cupcakes at the new coffee shop on


Saturday.

Let's emphasize different parts of this sentence:

 It was my sister who bought delicious cupcakes at the new


coffee shop on Saturday.

 It was delicious cupcakes that my sister bought at the new


coffee shop on Saturday.

 It was the new coffee shop where my sister bought delicious


cupcakes on Saturday.

 It was Saturday when my sister bought delicious cupcakes at


the new coffee shop.

A subordinate clause is most often introduced by the conjunction that


or who (for people), but after nouns or noun phrases, where or when
can also be used. However, if an adverb follows it, preference is given
to the conjunction that:

It is Friday when we are meeting with your colleagues. / It is on Friday


that we are meeting with your colleagues.
CLEFT SENTENCES
In informal conversation, the conjunction that can be omitted if the
meaning remains clear from the context:

It was my neighbour (that) you saw at the theatre last weekend.

The verb to be is used in the tense relevant to the sentence (present


is, past was, etc.).

In addition to affirmative sentences, It-cleft sentences can also be


negative or interrogative:

 It wasn’t Mary who was talking to you on the phone.

 Is it July that you are going on holiday?

Wh-cleft sentences

Another common group is wh-cleft sentences, which begin with a


question word (typically "what") and emphasize the second part of
the sentence.

Example structures:

What + subject + verb + be + infinitive (with or without "to") /


gerund / noun

Examples:

 What she needs is a good night’s sleep.

 What he did was break my favourite cup.

 What they are doing is lazing around.

The second structure is as follows:

What + subject + verb + be + subordinate clause with that /


why / who / which / where / when

Examples:

 What I don’t understand is why she would do something like


that.

 What he wanted to know was when they had that discussion.

 What I can’t explain is why she insists on going to Warsaw by


bus.

Sometimes, other question words are used instead of "what" at the


beginning of the sentence:
CLEFT SENTENCES
How they did it was a mystery to me.

Cleft sentences with certain expressions

Cleft sentences can also begin with certain phrases, following a


structure like this:

Phrase + subordinate clause + be + infinitive / gerund / noun /


subordinate clause

Common phrases include:

1. all;

2. something;

3. the thing;

4. the person;

5. the reason.

Examples:

 All I need is love and a cat.

 Something that I have always wanted to try is bungee jumping.

 The thing that he needed most was support and attention.

 The person you met on Monday was my ex-boyfriend.

 The reason why I didn’t do the task was because I had an


urgent appointment with the doctor.

Common mistakes

One of the most common challenges involves choosing the correct


verb form in the second part of wh-cleft sentences (infinitive, gerund,
etc.). This depends on the verb used in the first part of the sentence.

1. If the verb is in the continuous tense or requires the use of a


gerund, the verb in the second part will end in -ing:

 What he is doing is taking advantage of your generosity.

 What I enjoy most is drinking a cup of tea and reading an


interesting book.

2. If the verb requires the use of an infinitive with "to," it will be used
in the second part:

 What she wants to do is to get to the bottom of the situation.


CLEFT SENTENCES
 What he decided to do was to wait until things got cleared up.

3. In other cases (e.g., with simple tenses or after modal verbs), the
bare infinitive is used in the second part:

 What I can’t do is finish the project by myself.

 What they did was endanger everyone in the room.

As seen from the example above, in the past tense, the bare infinitive
is also used in the second part, rather than the past form of the verb.

Similarly, difficulties arise with It-cleft sentences when a plural noun


follows "it." This may create the temptation to use the verb to be in
the plural form, but since it agrees with "it," it remains in the singular:

 It was my parents who suggested the idea.

 It is pancakes that I prefer for breakfast.

Exercise to practice

Rephrase the following sentences starting with the words in brackets


to emphasize the highlighted part (if you'd like to see a hint, just click
on the respective sentence):

1. I can’t tolerate injustice. (What …)

2. I love listening to music when it’s raining. (What …)

3. She has been learning English because she needs it for her job.
(The reason why …)

4. My father was my role model in childhood. (It …)

5. It makes me crazy when people smoke in public places. (What …)

6. He just restarted the computer, that’s all. (All …)

7. They didn’t arrive until yesterday. (It wasn’t …)

FAQ

1. What are cleft sentences and why are they named that?

Cleft sentences are complex sentences in English in which one idea is


split between two parts to emphasize a particular portion. The word
“cleft” means “divided into two or more parts.” There are several
types of such sentences:

 it-cleft sentences (starting with “it”);

 wh-cleft sentences (starting with “what” or other question


words);
CLEFT SENTENCES
 sentences starting with all, the thing, the person, the reason.

2. When are cleft sentences used?

In English, such sentences are common in literary works but are also
frequently used in spoken language. Their main purpose is to
highlight a specific part of the statement, draw attention to new
information, and add emotional or expressive emphasis to certain
elements.

In writing, these sentences serve the function of intonation, pauses,


facial expressions, and other means that help speakers emphasize
points during conversation.

3. What is the formula for cleft sentences?

There are several types of such sentences that follow these


structures:

 It + be + word or phrase to be emphasized + subordinate


clause
It is September when a new semester begins.

 What + subject + verb + be + infinitive / gerund / noun /


subordinate clause
What I have never tried is Zumba.

 Specific word or phrase + subordinate clause + be + infinitive /


gerund / noun / subordinate clause
All you need is a two-week vacation.

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