C1–C2 English grammar
Cleft Sentences: Rules, Examples and Exercises
Cleft sentences divide one idea into two clauses so that a particular person, thing, time, reason or action receives the focus. The grammar is systematic, but the best structure depends on what the listener already knows and what you want to present as new.
Why speakers use cleft sentences for emphasis
A neutral clause distributes information in its ordinary order: Maya identified the error during the final review. A cleft lets the speaker select one contrastive focus.
Focus the person
It was Maya who identified the error.
Not another member of the team.
Focus the object
It was the error that Maya identified.
Not the formatting problem.
Focus the time
It was during the final review that Maya identified it.
Not during the initial analysis.
Focus the action or outcome
What Maya did was identify the error.
The action itself answers the current question.
It cleft sentences: focus one constituent
it + be + focused element + that/who + clause
The introductory it does not refer to a previous noun. It is part of the cleft frame. The tense of be usually locates the focusing event: It is…, It was… or occasionally It has been….
| Focused element | Cleft sentence | Likely contrast |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | It was Leila who proposed the compromise. | Leila, not Marco |
| Object | It was the timetable that the board rejected. | The timetable, not the budget |
| Time | It was after midnight that the servers failed. | After midnight, not earlier |
| Place | It was in Nairobi that they first met. | In Nairobi, not Kampala |
| Reason | It was because the evidence was incomplete that the hearing was delayed. | That reason, not another |
That or who?
That works with people and things in many it-clefts. Who is natural when a person is the focused subject.
It was Amina who/that called.
It was Amina that I called.
Negative and corrective focus
A negative cleft rejects one assumption before supplying another.
It wasn’t the cost that concerned us; it was the delay.
Wh cleft sentences and pseudo cleft sentences
Wh-clefts—also called pseudo cleft sentences—begin with a nominal relative clause, usually introduced by what. They are especially useful for focusing actions, needs, reasons and consequences.
what-clause + be + focused information
Focus a thing or idea
What the report lacks is a clear methodology.
The whole what-clause functions as the subject.
Focus an action
What the team did was (to) repeat the trial.
After what X did was, both a bare infinitive and a to-infinitive occur; the bare form is common.
Reversed wh-cleft
A clear methodology is what the report lacks.
Reversal places the focused complement first and can sound more conversational.
All-cleft
All I asked for was an explanation.
All emphasises that the request or requirement was limited.
| Frame | Example | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| What happened was… | What happened was that the sensor overheated. | An event or explanation |
| The reason why…is… | The reason why we paused was that the data conflicted. | A reason |
| The place where…is… | The place where demand rose fastest was the north. | A location |
| The person who…is… | The person who can authorise this is the director. | A person |
Control agreement, tense and register
Agreement after a wh-clause
A singular what-clause normally takes singular be.
What worries me most is the lack of testing.
Plural complement
Plural agreement is possible when a plural complement strongly determines the number, but singular is often safer when the clause represents one requirement.
What we need is/are two additional reviewers.
Tense consistency
The copular tense and the embedded event need not be identical, but their time relationship must be logical.
What caused the delay was a fault that had developed earlier.
Do not over-cleft
Clefts are marked structures. In neutral procedural writing, a direct sentence may be clearer.
Direct: The panel meets on Tuesday.
Contrastive: It is Tuesday that the panel meets, not Thursday.
Cleft sentences exercises: guided practice
1. Focus the person: “Rina discovered the accounting error.”
It was Rina who discovered the accounting error. The focused subject appears after was; who introduces the remaining clause.
2. Focus the time: “The policy changed after the election.”
It was after the election that the policy changed. Use that after a focused time phrase.
3. Focus the action: “The auditors requested the original receipts.”
What the auditors did was (to) request the original receipts. The what X did frame focuses an action.
4. Correct: “It was the revised forecast which the investors questioned it.”
It was the revised forecast that the investors questioned. Remove the duplicate object it; the focused noun already fills that role.
5. Reverse the wh-cleft: “What the team needs is additional time.”
Additional time is what the team needs. The reversed form moves the focused complement to the front.
6. Explain the difference: “Marta approved the final version” / “It was the final version that Marta approved.”
The neutral sentence simply reports an event. The cleft contrasts the final version with another possible version and is appropriate only when that distinction matters.
Final check
Cleft sentences quiz
Choose the structure that creates the intended focus without duplicating a subject or object.
Target: 9/12