English — Cleft sentences
Cleft sentences split one idea into two clauses to spotlight a particular part. English uses it-clefts (It was John who called) and wh-clefts (What I need is rest) to put one piece of information in focus.
How it works
An it-cleft begins with It + be, places the focused element next, and continues with who/that: It was John who called me, not Mary. A wh-cleft opens with a what-clause and links it to the focus with be: What I need is a holiday. The rest of the sentence stays as shared, background information.
Examples
| Structure | Example | What is emphasized |
|---|---|---|
| It-cleft (subject) | It was John who called me. | The subject — John, not someone else |
| It-cleft (object) | It was the keys that I lost. | The object — the keys |
| It-cleft (adverbial) | It was yesterday that we met. | The time — yesterday |
| Wh-cleft (thing) | What I need is a holiday. | The thing needed — a holiday |
| Wh-cleft (action) | What she did was (to) call the police. | The action — calling the police |
| Reverse wh-cleft | A holiday is what I need. | End focus on the what-clause |
Good to know
The relative word matches the focus: use who (or that) for people and that/which for things — It was the keys that I lost. In careful writing the verb agrees with the focused subject (It is I who am to blame), but It's me who's to blame is normal in speech.