Cleft sentences are special sentence structures in English that split information into two parts to emphasize a particular word or idea. They help highlight the most important part of a sentence.
Cleft sentences are a way of organizing a sentence to put special focus on one part of the information. Instead of saying everything in one simple sentence, cleft sentences split the idea into two parts, often using phrases like “It is … that …” or “What … is …” to draw attention to the important piece. This structure helps clarify meaning and makes writing more interesting.
- Cleft sentences emphasize a specific word or phrase by splitting the sentence.
- Common patterns include “It is/was … that …” and “What … is …”
- They are used in both spoken and written English to highlight information.
The “It is/was … that …” structure is one of the most common types of cleft sentences. It starts with “It is” or “It was,” followed by the part you want to emphasize, and then a clause beginning with “that.” This form can highlight a subject, object, time, place, reason—almost any part of the sentence.
- Use “It is” for present or general situations, “It was” for past.
- The emphasized part comes immediately after “It is/was.”
- The clause after “that” provides the rest of the information.
Examples:
- Original: “John wrote the report.”
Cleft: “It was John who wrote the report.”
(Emphasizes John.)
- Original: “I met Sarah at the party.”
Cleft: “It was at the party that I met Sarah.”
(Emphasizes the time/place.)
- Original: “She called because she was worried.”
Cleft: “It was because she was worried that she called.”
(Emphasizes the reason.)
Common Mistakes:
- Don’t add extra words before the emphasized part.
“It is only John that wrote the report.” (correct: “It was John who wrote the report.”)
- Use “who” for people, “which” or “that” for things.
“It was John who called.”
✅ “It was the book that I lost.”
The “What … is …” structure is another way to create cleft sentences, usually emphasizing a whole idea or explanation. It starts with “What,” followed by a noun or idea, then “is,” and finishes with the detailed part. This form often appears when giving definitions, explanations, or summaries.
- Use “What” plus a noun or noun phrase at the beginning.
- The verb “is” links the emphasized idea to its explanation.
- Often used for clarifying or summarizing information.
Examples:
- “What I need is a good night’s sleep.”
(Emphasizes the need.)
- “What she said was surprising.”
(Emphasizes what was said.)
- “What we decided is to postpone the meeting.”
(Emphasizes the decision.)
Common Mistakes:
- Don’t invert the sentence like a question.
“What is I need is a good night’s sleep.” (incorrect word order)
- The verb after “What … is” should agree with the subject of the explanation.
“What they want is a break.”
❌ “What they want are a break.” (subject–verb agreement error)
Here are some more examples of different types of cleft sentences to show how they work in everyday English.
| Original Sentence | Cleft Sentence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| “I forgot my keys.” | “It was my keys that I forgot.” | Emphasizes what was forgotten. |
| “Sarah baked the cake.” | “It was Sarah who baked the cake.” | Emphasizes who did the baking. |
| “We left at midnight.” | “It was at midnight that we left.” | Emphasizes when we left. |
| “He won because he practiced hard.” | “It was because he practiced hard that he won.” | Emphasizes why he won. |
| “I’m tired.” | “What I want is to rest.” | Emphasizes the desire for rest. |
| “They agreed to the plan.” | “What they agreed to was the new plan.” | Emphasizes what was agreed. |
Which part of a sentence can 'It is/was ... that ...' cleft sentences emphasize?
Subjects, objects, times, places, reasons, or even whole phrases
This cleft structure is flexible and can highlight nearly any element of a sentence—who, what, when, where, or why.
- Cleft sentences are used to highlight or emphasize a particular part of a sentence.
- “It is/was … that …” can emphasize people, places, times, reasons, or objects.
- Use “who” for people and “that” or “which” for things in “It is/was” clefts.
- “What … is …” usually emphasizes an idea, explanation, or summary.
- Both structures make your writing and speaking more focused and clear.
What relative pronoun is used for things in 'It is/was ... that ...' cleft sentences?
that
'That' is the standard pronoun for things in these cleft structures, while 'who' is reserved for people.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
