Cleft sentences: Adding emphasis
Learn how to use cleft sentences with 'it' and 'what' to emphasize specific parts of a sentence.
- check_circleI can use 'it-cleft' sentences to emphasize nouns or prepositional phrases.
- check_circleI can use 'what-cleft' sentences to emphasize actions or whole clauses.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Emma: Did you see the news about the new policy at work?
Mark: Yes, I did! It was the HR manager who sent the email this morning.
Emma: Exactly. What surprised me is that they didn’t consult us first.
Mark: I know. We’ve been working so hard lately. What we need is a break, not more rules.
Emma: I agree. My supervisor said we just have to accept it. But it feels unfair.
Mark: Well, it was in the meeting last week that they hinted at some changes.
Emma: Yes, but they made it sound like a minor update. What they actually did was completely rewrite the guidelines.
Mark: It’s going to cause a lot of frustration among the team.
Emma: Definitely. It is the lack of communication that bothers me the most.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
When we want to focus on a specific part of a sentence, we can use a cleft sentence. “Cleft” means divided. We divide a simple sentence into two clauses to give extra focus to one part of it.
It-cleft sentences
We use It is / was + emphasized part + that / who / which + rest of the sentence to emphasize nouns, pronouns, or prepositional phrases.
Normal: I lost my keys in the park.
Emphasis on the object: It was my keys that I lost in the park.
Emphasis on the place: It was in the park that I lost my keys.
We usually use “that” in cleft sentences, but “who” is also common when emphasizing a person.
What-cleft sentences
We use What + clause + is / was + emphasized part to emphasize an action or an entire clause. These sentences often use the verb do.
Normal: I need a long holiday.
Emphasis: What I need is a long holiday.
Normal: He ignored the warning.
Emphasis: What he did was ignore the warning.
Don’t forget the verb “to be” (is/was) after the what clause.
Incorrect: What I want a coffee.
Correct: What I want is a coffee.
Emphasizing emotions and reactions
Cleft sentences are very useful to express strong feelings or describe how an outcome surprised you.
What surprised me most was his reaction.
It was her resilience that inspired us all.
- It-cleft: It is/was + [focus] + that… (e.g., It was the weather that ruined the trip.)
- What-cleft: What [clause] + is/was + [focus] (e.g., What we need is more time.)
- Use It-clefts mainly for nouns and prepositional phrases.
- Use What-clefts mainly for actions (using do) and whole clauses.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?