Cleft Sentences

What are cleft sentences in English?

Cleft sentences are complex structures that split a simple sentence into two parts to emphasize specific information. The word "cleft" means "divided" or "split." For example, "John broke the window" becomes "It was John who broke the window" when emphasizing who did it. Corpus research shows that it-clefts account for 60-70% of all cleft structures in English.

It-Cleft

It + be + focus + who/that + clause

"It was John who broke the window."

Wh-Cleft (Pseudo-Cleft)

What/Where/Who + clause + be + focus

"What I need is a holiday."

All-Cleft

All + subject + verb + be + focus

"All I want is peace and quiet."

Thing-Cleft

The thing/reason + clause + be + focus

"The reason I called is to apologize."

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When should you use cleft sentences?

Use cleft sentences when you want to highlight specific information, correct misunderstandings, create contrast, or structure academic arguments. They're particularly common in B2 First (FCE) exams for Key Word Transformation tasks and in formal academic writing where emphasis needs to be explicit.

Emphasizing Specific Information

"It was the rain that ruined the picnic." — highlights what caused the problem

Correcting Misunderstandings

"No, it was Tuesday that we met, not Monday." — corrects wrong information

Creating Contrast

"It wasn't the price that bothered me; it was the quality." — contrasts two things

Academic Writing & Storytelling

Structure arguments clearly or add dramatic effect: "What happened next was unexpected."

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How do you form it-cleft sentences?

It-clefts follow the pattern: It + be + focused element + who/that + relative clause. The focused element can be a person (use "who" or "that"), a thing, a time expression, a place, or a reason. Corpus research shows it-clefts are the most common type, accounting for 60-70% of all cleft structures.

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What are wh-clefts (pseudo-clefts) and how do you use them?

Wh-clefts (also called pseudo-clefts) follow the pattern: What/Where/Who + clause + be + focused element. Unlike it-clefts, they put the focus at the END of the sentence. Research shows wh-clefts are more common in spoken English than written English, accounting for about 20-25% of all clefts.

What are all-clefts and thing-clefts?

All-clefts and thing-clefts are conversational cleft structures that express limitation or explanation. All-clefts use the pattern "All + subject + verb + be + focus" to emphasize that something is the ONLY thing needed or wanted. Thing-clefts use "The thing/reason/place + clause + be + focus" to structure explanations.

What are the most common cleft sentence mistakes?

Common learner errors include using the wrong relative pronoun, subject-verb agreement issues in wh-clefts, and incorrect verb forms in do-clefts. Our exercises specifically target these error patterns to help you avoid them.

What are the advanced cleft sentence types?

Beyond the common it-clefts and wh-clefts, English has several advanced cleft structures used for specific communicative purposes. These include do-clefts (emphasizing actions), event-clefts (emphasizing what happened), if-because clefts (explaining reasons), and inferential clefts (correcting misinterpretations). These are typically C1-C2 level structures.

Corpus research reveals that cleft sentences, while not extremely frequent (less than 0.1% of all sentences), play a significant role in both spoken and written English. A study by De Cesare (2014) analyzing cleft constructions found distinct patterns in how native speakers use different cleft types.