Cleft sentences: it-clefts and what-clefts
Focusing with It was X who/that... and What I need is..., plus all/the thing/the reason variants
I can redirect focus in writing with it-clefts, what-clefts and their variants.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
It was the goalkeeper, not the striker, who won us the cup.
It was the goalkeeper, not the striker, who won us the cup.
What this city lacks isn't money — it's patience.
What this city lacks isn't money — it's patience.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Split one message into frame + focus:
| Cleft | Example |
|---|---|
| it-cleft | It was the keeper who saved the match. It wasn't until midnight that they left. |
| what-cleft | What I need is a long holiday. What annoyed us was the silence afterwards. |
| variants | All I want is quiet. The reason I called is simple. The thing that matters is timing. |
Clefts replace the missing intonation channel in writing — they tell the reader where the stress goes.
- *It was yesterday when → that (it-cleft takes that/who)
- *What I need is that I get... → What I need is + noun/to-inf
- not until uncleft: It wasn't until X that...
Common Error Patterns
when/which in it-clefts
it-cleft links with that/who
not until without cleft frame
It wasn't until X that Y
It was the goalkeeper, not the striker, who won us the cup.
It was the goalkeeper, not the striker, who won us the cup.
it-cleft with contrastive correction.
What this city lacks isn't money — it's patience.
What this city lacks isn't money — it's patience.
what-cleft with a negated focus.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises