Mixed Cleft Exercises (Intermediate)

At intermediate mixed level, you practise transforming sentences using all major cleft types including do-clefts and event clefts alongside the core five patterns. The challenge increases because some sentences can be transformed using more than one cleft type, and you must choose the most appropriate one. "She resigned suddenly" could become "What she did was resign suddenly" (do-cleft emphasising the action) or "It was she who resigned suddenly" (it-cleft emphasising the person). Understanding when each type is most effective is the key skill at this level.

Do-clefts work best when the emphasis should fall on a specific action: "What the committee did was reject the proposal." Event clefts frame entire situations: "What happened was that the funding was cut at the last minute." Reversed forms add variety and impact: "Honesty is what this debate needs most." At B2-C1 level, you are expected to switch fluently between cleft types depending on context. Cambridge C1 Advanced frequently tests this flexibility in key word transformations, where the prompt word determines which cleft structure you must produce accurately.