What are cleft sentences?
A cleft sentence "splits" a simple sentence into two clauses to put emphasis on one element. In writing, where intonation isn't available, clefts do the job that stress does in speech.
It-cleft (emphasising person): "It was John who broke the window." (not someone else)
Wh-cleft (emphasising action): "What John did was break the window."
It-clefts: It + be + focus + relative clause
Use an it-cleft to emphasise a specific element (person, thing, time, place, reason).
| What we emphasise | Relative word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Person | who / that | It was John who/that called. |
| Thing / object | that / which | It was the noise that woke me up. |
| Time | that / when | It was at midnight that they left. |
| Place | that / where | It was in Paris that they met. |
| Reason | that / why | It was because of the rain that we stayed in. |
Wh-clefts: What + clause + be + focus
Wh-clefts (also called "pseudo-clefts") begin with a what-clause and are used to emphasise the action or result.
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| What + subject + verb + be + noun/infinitive | What I need is a long holiday. |
| What + subject + did + be + to-inf / bare inf | What he did was apologise to everyone. |
| What + surprised / annoyed me + be + clause | What surprised me was how quickly it all happened. |
All-clefts: All + subject + verb + be + focus
All-clefts emphasise that something is the only thing needed or wanted. They typically restrict to "all" = the minimum.
"All I'm asking is for a little honesty."
"All they wanted was an apology."
Exercises
Choose the correct cleft sentence.
1. I want to emphasise that MARIA won the prize (not someone else).
2. I want to emphasise what I need: a rest. (action/need emphasis)
3. The thing that surprised me was the low price.
4. He didn't say much. He just apologised. (emphasising what he did)
5. I don't want anything special — just honesty.