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What is a cleft sentence? Knowledge about cleft sentences

A cleft sentence is a type of sentence that emphasizes a particular part of the statement and is commonly used in both communication and writing. So, when is a cleft sentence used, and what is its specific structure? In today's article, PREP will help you explore in detail the knowledge about cleft sentence structures along with specific illustrative examples!

I. What are cleft sentences?
II. Cleft sentences using “It + be”
III. Cleft Sentence Structure Emphasizing "What"
IV. Inverted Cleft Sentences in English
V. Some Other Common Cleft Sentence Structures
VI. Cleft Sentence Exercises with Answers

I. What are cleft sentences?

Cleft sentences are a type of sentence commonly used to emphasize a specific component within the sentence, such as the subject, object, adverb, or any noteworthy event or entity in the sentence. A cleft sentence is also a compound sentence consisting of a main clause and a subordinate clause, often combined with relative pronouns.

Examples of cleft sentences:

It is John who wrote this letter.
It was my wallet that I lost yesterday.
It was at the birthday party that I met Lisa.

II. Cleft sentences using “It + be”

The structure of cleft sentences using “It + be” is the most commonly used form for emphasis in English. Here is the general formula for this type of cleft sentence:

It is/was + Emphasized component + that/whom/who +…

Due to the nature of the component being emphasized in the cleft sentence structure, which can be the subject, object, adverb, or any noteworthy action or event, cleft sentences in English can also be classified into various types. Let’s analyze each commonly used cleft sentence structure below:

Cleft sentence	Structure	Example
To emphasize the subject	It is/was + subject (referring to a person) + who/that + verb It is/was + subject (referring to a thing) + that + verb	It is that student who always asks difficult questions. It was the interview that changed his life.
To emphasize the object	It is/was + object (referring to a person) + that/whom + subject + verb It is/was + object (proper noun) + that + subject + verb It is/was + object (referring to a thing) + that + subject + verb	It was men whom I loved most. It was Mary that I met yesterday. It was the window that they broke.
To emphasize the adverbial	It is/was + adverb/adverbial phrase + that + subject + verb + object	It is in Rome that they live. It is every day that I learn German.
Passive cleft sentence	It + is/was + noun (referring to a thing) + that + be + past participle (V3/V-ed) It + is/was + noun/pronoun (referring to a person) + who + be + past participle (V3/V-ed)	It was the shoes that were lost. It is Anna who is tired after work.

III. Cleft Sentence Structure Emphasizing "What"

Unlike the "It + be" structure, this type of cleft sentence is special because the information that needs to be emphasized is usually placed at the end. The "what" clause is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and in some other cases, relative pronouns like "where," "why," or "how" may also be used. Due to these unique characteristics regarding word position, the formation of cleft sentences emphasizing "what" differs in several ways.

Structure:

What clause + V + is/was + information to be emphasized

For example:

What really surprised me was my boyfriend’s kindness.
What I need now is a good rest.

IV. Inverted Cleft Sentences in English

In addition to basic formulas, cleft sentences also have an inverted structure in English to emphasize a specific component within the sentence.

Structure:

S + be + all/wh-question + S + V…

For example:

All that I wanted was a simple life.
All I could do was cry and get upset.
What he wants is a chance to prove himself.
Why he left early was because he had a doctor's appointment.

V. Some Other Common Cleft Sentence Structures

In addition to the frequently used structures mentioned above, in English, we can also encounter other advanced cleft sentence formulas such as the following:

Cleft Sentences	Structure	Example
Inverted "wh"	Subject + verb + "wh" + information to be emphasized	What I like best about this book is the opening. Why John left without saying goodbye is still a mystery.
“All”	All + subject + verb + information to be emphasized	All Jack wants is a peaceful life. All she could do was cry and get upset.
“There”	There + information to be emphasized	There is nothing I can do to help her to overcome the pain. There is no doubt that he is my love.
“If”	If + clause + it’s + main clause to be emphasized	If you want to succeed, it’s hard work that you need. If you are going to the party, it’s a new dress that you should wear.

VI. Cleft Sentence Exercises with Answers

After learning the theory behind cleft sentence structures in English, let's apply the knowledge by solving the small exercises below:

Exercise 1: Rewrite the sentences using cleft structures

Crystal was most glad with the service of this agency.

➡ What _______________________ (to be glad with)

Jack can’t stand the sound of drilling.

➡ It’s _______________________ (the sound of drilling)

Jenny didn’t pay for the meal, Martin did.

➡ It _______________________ (Jenny)

Stephen’s always late for work. It really annoys his boss.

➡ What _______________________ (to annoy)

I found the comic I had been searching for at the old room.

➡ It _______________________ (where)

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with who, that, or whom

It is Mike _____ plays the ukulele very well.
It is Bob _____ Tom falls in love with.
It was in that town _____ Steven was born.
It was the son _____ his dad gave the whole confidential document.
It was their children _____ most parents are willing to lend their ear to.

Answer keys

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
What Crystal was most glad with was the service of this agency. It’s the sound of drilling that Jack can’t stand. It was Jenny who didn’t pay for the meal. What really annoys Stephen's boss is that he’s always late for work. It was at the old room where I found the comic I had been searching for.	that/who that/whom that that/whom whom

This comprehensive overview of cleft sentence structures in English was compiled by PREP for you. Be sure to practice more cleft sentence exercises with answers to become more fluent in using these structures in tests and everyday communication!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Mr. Tú Phạm is the founder of PREP, a Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of teaching and test preparation experience, he has assisted thousands of students in achieving high scores on the IELTS exam. Additionally, Mr. Tú Phạm serves as a consultant for British Council programs and as a speaker at numerous premier education events, programs, and seminars.