Cleft sentences for emphasis

Emphasis involves showing that something is particularly

important or worth giving attention to. Cleft sentences are
one way of doing this. These can be formed by:
• a clause starting with what, linked to the rest of the
sentence by is/was:
I really enjoy pasta. What I really enjoy is pasta.
She wanted to find a job in New Zealand. What she
wanted was to find a job in New Zealand.
Note: The verb in the what clause is often do. In this case,
is/was is followed by an infinitive, with or without to:
They advertised on television. What they did was (to)
advertise on television.
• a clause starting with all:
My house only needs a swimming pool now. All my
house needs now is a swimming pool.
• a clause starting with It is/was, linked to the rest of the
sentence by that or who:
Mike paid the bill. It was Mike who paid the bill.
You should speak to the manager. It’s the manager
(that) you should speak to.
They left Poland in 2012. It was in 2012 that they left
Poland.
I like visiting other countries, but I don’t enjoy flying.
I like visiting other countries – it’s flying (that) I don’t
enjoy