Cleft sentences
Use the full range of cleft and pseudo-cleft sentences to control focus: It wasn’t until…, What… is…, The one thing…, Where… was…
In this lesson you will
- Use it-clefts with time and reason (It wasn’t until…; It was because…)
- Use reversed and wh-clefts (What…/That’s what…)
- Choose clefts to manage information flow
Learn
It-clefts focus on one element: It was the manager* who…, It was in 1998 that…, It’s not the cost that worries me, it’s the time.* A powerful pattern: *It wasn’t until I moved abroad that I appreciated my family.*
Wh-clefts (pseudo-clefts): What we need is… ; Where he went wrong was… ; Why I’m here is to… ; How she did it remains a mystery. Reversed: A holiday is what I need. That’s why I called.
Other focusing frames: The thing/one thing/last thing (that)… is… ; All (that)… is… ; The reason (why)… is that… ; The person who… was…
Why use them: to correct (It’s Tuesday, not Monday, that we meet), to contrast, to build suspense, or to place new information at the end where it gets natural stress.
Examples
- It wasn’t until the final chapter that the truth emerged.
- Where the plan fails is in its assumptions.
- The last thing I wanted was an argument.
- That’s exactly what I was trying to say.
Vocabulary
focus
the part of a sentence given most importance
pseudo-cleft
a what/wh- cleft sentence
information flow
the order in which ideas are presented
suspense
a feeling of waiting for something
emerge
become known
Practice
Complete the sentence.
Speaking
Talk about a turning point in your life using It wasn’t until… that…, What changed was…, and The one thing I’d do differently is…
Writing
Write a reflective paragraph (130–160 words) on a lesson you learned late, using at least four different cleft structures.
Lesson quiz
It was only when she left ___ we realised how much she did.
Review
Key points
- It-clefts: It was… that/who; It wasn’t until… that…
- Wh-clefts: What/Where/Why… is…
- Frames: The thing is…, All I…, The reason… is that…
- Use to correct, contrast, build suspense.
What you learned
- ✓ I use a full range of clefts.
- ✓ I control information focus.
- ✓ I write with more emphasis.
Grammar reference: Cleft sentences