Cleft and Pseudo-cleft Sentences
I can target a correction precisely while keeping focus, background and possible exclusivity distinct.
Try the activities, then check your answers.
Try the activities, then check your answers.
Choose a short recording.
Start with the contrast
Someone says that Jo moved the appointment. “It was Lee who moved it” corrects the person. “What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue” corrects the object. “What Lee did was move the appointment” focuses on the action. The best structure depends on which part of the earlier claim needs repair.
Read the situation transcript
Someone says that Jo moved the appointment. “It was Lee who moved it” corrects the person. “What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue” corrects the object. “What Lee did was move the appointment” focuses on the action. The best structure depends on which part of the earlier claim needs repair.
Which sentence corrects the object rather than identifying the person?
Compare your idea
What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue.
How it works
It-clefts place a selected element in focus: It was Lee who moved it. Wh-clefts divide the message into a background-like clause and a focused complement: What Lee moved was the appointment.
Use the shared context carefully. A cleft can invite an exclusive interpretation, but do not mechanically treat every cleft as a formal proof that nobody else participated. Be equally careful about background assumptions: a question such as Who moved it? already frames a move as having happened, which may itself need correction.
It-cleft: it + be + focus + relative-like clause. Wh-cleft: what-clause + be + focused complement.
Notice this
It was Lee who moved the appointment.
The person is the correction focus.
Compare this
What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue.
The affected item is the correction focus.
Hear the examples
It was Lee who moved the appointment.
The person is the correction focus.
What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue.
The affected item is the correction focus.
What Lee did was move the appointment.
The action is foregrounded.
Nobody moved it; the original message was wrong.
This rejects the event assumption rather than selecting a focus.
One mistake worth avoiding
Instead of: What Lee did was moved the appointment.
Say: What Lee did was move the appointment.
After this what…did frame, the focused verb phrase uses move, not a past-tense moved.
You say
Hear the prompt, answer aloud, then deliberately reveal or hear one possible model. Check it and retry with a changed detail.
Your turn 1
Correct a mistaken person using an it-cleft.
Compare a possible model
Reveal the model text
It was Lee who changed the appointment, not Jo.
Check yourself: Make the intended contrast explicit.
Retry with one detail of your own. Other wording is welcome when it meets this check.
Your turn 2
Correct the affected item with a wh-cleft.
Compare a possible model
Reveal the model text
What Lee changed was the time, not the location.
Check yourself: Keep the changed event and object aligned.
Retry with one detail of your own. Other wording is welcome when it meets this check.
Your turn 3
Reject a false background assumption instead of accepting it.
Compare a possible model
Reveal the model text
Nobody changed the appointment; the earlier message was incorrect.
Check yourself: Do not force a cleft when the event itself is false.
Retry with one detail of your own. Other wording is welcome when it meets this check.
Two guided self-checks
Say or write your answer before opening a model.
Self-check 1
Choose a focus to correct “Lee moved the venue”: the appointment was moved instead.
Compare a model and explanation
What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue.
The focused item answers the actual correction need.
Self-check 2
Repair “What she did was changed the date.”
Compare a model and explanation
What she did was change the date.
To change is also possible in many contexts; do not require the past-tense form.
Check your understanding
Choose one answer to each question, then check your answers. One of the ten questions is listening.
Automatic scoring needs JavaScript. Use the answer key after attempting all ten questions.
Answer key with explanations
-
Which sentence most directly corrects who moved the appointment?
It was Lee who moved the appointment, not Jo.: The it-cleft focuses the person responsible.
-
Which sentence corrects the affected object?
What Lee moved was the appointment, not the venue.: The wh-cleft places the changed item in focus.
-
In “What Lee did was move the appointment”, why is move used?
The focused verb phrase follows the what…did frame, rather than taking another past-tense ending.: The action complement is expressed as a base-form verb phrase in this pattern.
-
The premise that anyone moved the appointment is false. Which response is most accurate?
Nobody moved it; the message was wrong.: A focus correction would wrongly accept an event that did not happen.
-
Does every cleft logically prove that no other participant was involved?
No: Exclusivity can be a strong contextual inference, but should not be imposed as a universal logical rule.
-
Which rewrite preserves “It was the date, not the venue, that Lee changed”?
Lee changed the date rather than the venue.: The correct answer preserves the focused contrast.
-
What should determine whether to use an it-cleft or a wh-cleft?
Which element or action the discourse needs to focus or correct: The structure should match the correction task and shared context.
-
What is being corrected?
The affected item: time rather than location: The wh-cleft explicitly contrasts time with location.
-
Which sentence keeps the action-focused construction well formed?
What she did was change the date.: Change is the base form required in this version of the pattern.
-
What is the strongest takeaway?
Focus precisely, and examine what your chosen structure treats as already accepted.: Advanced cleft use combines grammatical form with control of discourse assumptions.
Take it with you
I can target a correction precisely while keeping focus, background and possible exclusivity distinct.