Cleft sentences

Cleft noun [ C ]
/kleft/

• an opening or crack, especially in a

rock or the ground:
Eagles often nest in a cleft in the rocks.
 Cleft sentences
• A cleft sentence is a sentence that is
cleft (split) so as to put the focus on one
part of it.
 1. It + be + relative clause + that/who clause
• The sentence starts “it is/was/could have been”. Next is the relative clause. The
relative clause is emphasised by its placement here. The sentence ends with a
that/who clause.
• “John stole a book from the library last week”.
• • It was *John* who stole a book from the library last week
• The new information is the subject. We already knew that a book was stolen and now
we know that John is the thief.
• • It was *a book* that John stole from the library last week
• The new information is the object. We already knew that John took something from
the library last week and now we know it was a book.
 1. It + be + relative clause + that/who clause

• “John stole a book from the library last week”.

• • It was *last week* that John stole a book from the library.
• The new information is the time. We already knew that John stole a
book from the library and now we know he carried out the theft last
week.
• • It was *from the library* that John stole a book last week
• The new information is the place. We already knew that John stole a
book last week and now we know he took it from the library.
2. What + subject + do/does/did/ + is/was + (to) infinitive
• This is a wh-cleft sentence. “What” is the most common start, but
you might also see “where, why, how” and so on. In a wh-cleft
sentence, the first clause is usually the already-known
information, and the second clause, which is the focus, introduces
the new information.
• For example:
• • What Tom did was to hide the book under the mattress.
• We knew that Tom did something – the second clause tells us that
he hid the book under the mattress.
 3-What happens is (that) … / What happened was (that)
• This is another kind of wh-cleft sentence. In this kind of sentence, we
usually know that something happened – the second, focused, clause
tells us what it was or gives us further information.
• For example:
• • What happened was that the dog ate my homework.
• We already knew that something had happened – possibly, we already
knew something had happened to the homework – and the second
clause tells us that the dog is to blame.
 4. The reason why, the thing that, the person/people who, the
place where, the day when…
• This type of wh-cleft sentence is more likely to be varied in structure. Sometimes, the first clause
is where you’ll find the new information.
• • Why Fred and I fell out was his rudeness.
• We already knew that the speaker fell out with Fred – the second clause tells us that the reason is
his rudeness.
• • The summer is when Kylie and I met.
• We already knew that Kylie and the speaker had met - the second clause tells us that it was in the
summer. The focus is the time.
• • The church in the village was where my Grandad got married.
• In *this* example, we already knew that the speaker’s Grandad got married – the first clause is
what gives us the new information.
 5. The thing/s that = What/All

• This kind of cleft sentence centres around the object.

• • What’s under the mattress is Tom’s book.
• We knew that something was under the mattress – the second clause
tells us that it is Tom’s book. The object is the focus.
• • What hurt her was the falling rock.
• We knew that she was hurt – the second clause tells us that the rock
was the cause. The object is the focus again.
 Complete the gaps with a cleft
• 1. The pothole was what damaged the car.
• 2. A theft is why the bank is closed.
• 3. Time is what solidified our friendship.
• 4. What happened to the ball was that it got stuck in the net.
• 5. It was that shop where I got the dress from.
• 6. What Jane did was to pass the exam.
 Complete the gaps with a cleft. (3 mistakes)
• The President of the United States has resigned in a shocking move.
President Green, who took office in February, said to reporters, “The reason who
why is simple.”
I am quitting
The First Lady is said to be disappointed with the result. What wasItshe who
helped the President win the election.
that
It was yesterday who the President first gave a hint to his departure. A gala
dinner was the venue of his now-famous drunken speech about how hard his job
is.
“What I’m sick of is all of the paperwork,” slurred President Green at the
gathering. What we’re all wondering is what happened next.