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Cleft Sentences (Table) | PDF | Sentence (Linguistics) | Human Communication
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Cleft Sentences (Table)

Cleft sentences are used to emphasize specific information by structuring the sentence in two parts, with one part providing context or known information and the other part highlighting something new. They use forms like "what", "why", "who", or "it" followed by a verb and the emphasized element. This draws attention to the emphasized information by connecting it to the context in the first part of the sentence. Cleft structures have two main functions: emphasizing new or important information, and asking/answering questions indirectly.

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267 views1 page

Cleft Sentences (Table)

Cleft sentences are used to emphasize specific information by structuring the sentence in two parts, with one part providing context or known information and the other part highlighting something new. They use forms like "what", "why", "who", or "it" followed by a verb and the emphasized element. This draws attention to the emphasized information by connecting it to the context in the first part of the sentence. Cleft structures have two main functions: emphasizing new or important information, and asking/answering questions indirectly.

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IPI Villa Elisa
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cleft sentences are used to emphasize certain parts of a sentence by introducing it or building up to it with

a kind of relative clause. They let us focus on new information. We use them to connect what is already
understood to what is new to the listener/reader, which is emphasised for them. Because these sentences
have two parts, they are called cleft (from the verb cleave), which means divided into two.
Wh-cleft sentences (pseudo-cleft sentences)
Normal sentence (non-emphatic) WHAT CLAUSE + BE + EMPHASIS
We should tell the truth. What we should do is tell the truth.
We now need actions rather than words. What we now need are actions rather than words.
My boss offered me a pay rise. What my boss did was offer me a pay rise.

Normal sentence (non-emphatic) OTHER WH-CLEFT SENTENCES - CLAUSE + BE + EMPHASIS


You should mix the dough with your hands How you should mix the dough is with your hands
I ask because I need to file a report. Why I ask is because I need to file a report .
You should speak with Mike. Who you should speak with is Mike.

Normal sentence (non-emphatic) REVERSED WH-CLEFT: EMPHASIS + IS/WAS ...


He ate a pizza yesterday. A pizza  is what he ate yesterday.
We used to live in that house. That house is where we used to live.
The dog chased the cat. Chasing the cat is what the dog did.

IT-CLEFT SENTENCES
Normal sentence (non-emphatic) IT IS/WAS + EMPHASIS (WHO/THAT) ...
My brother bought a new car from... It was a new car that my brother bought from ...
I didn’t break the vase. It was not me who broke the vase.
She called me yesterday. It was yesterday when she called me.
You are in the wrong, not me. It is you who is in the wrong, not me.

CLEFT STRUCTURES : ... IS /WAS + EMPHASIS


Normal sentence (non-emphatic) The reason why/that ... is/was + emphasis
I’m calling to ask a favour. The reason (that) I'm calling is to ask a favour.
The place where... is/was + emphasis
I do most of my shopping at Tesco. The place where I do most of my shopping is Tesco.
The person/one/people who ... is/was + emphasis
Jack helped me. The person who helped me was Jack.
The day when ... is/was + emphasis
The Second World War ended The day (when) the Second World War ended
on 7 May 1945 in Europe. in Europe was 7 May 1945
The (one/first/only) thing that...is/was + emphasis
His voice impressed me. The thing that impressed me was his voice.
All ... do/does/did + is/was + emphasis
He complained about how busy he was. All he did was complain about how busy he was.

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