Made by: Aleksandar Veselinovikj 16193

Introduction
y Cleft sentences are special

constructions which are used to give emphasis to a particular part of the sentence. They are particularly useful when writing where we cannot use intonation for purposes of focus or emphasis, but they are also frequently used in speech.

Introduction
Cleft structures include the reason why, the thing that, the person/people who, the place where, the day when and what-clauses which are usually linked to the clause that we want to focus on with is or was. These type of sentences are introduced by a clause beginning with what or by It is/It was.

What - clauses
Structure: y What + focus + to be y Ex: I enjoyed the family most in my trip to Phoenix. What I enjoyed most in my trip to Phoenix was my family. How on earth did Nick let the boss know he d be late? Well, What he did was to call her from his mobile phone.

NOTE:
y Note that cleft structures with what-clauses are often used with verbs expressing an emotive response to something like y adore, dislike, enjoy, hate, like, love, need, prefer, want

All instead of What

y It is sometimes very effective to use ALL instead of WHAT in a cleft structure if you want to focus on one particular thing and nothing else. y Ex: y I want to finish my homework. y All I want to do is to finish my homework. y We just need 5 minutes to fix it. y All we need is 5 minutes to fix it.

It - clauses
Structure: It + be + noun + that/who Ex: Jenny spends all her money on shoes. It is Jenny who spends all her money on shoes. Monica studied English at La Laguna university. It was at La Laguna university that Monica studied English.

It - clauses
y We can also use It to focus on the other part of sentence:

It was in London that he met his first wife.(place) y It was only when he phoned that I realized what had happened. (time) It is learning English that I find most enjoyable nowadays. (gerund action)

Examples
y I didn t suggest having a barbecue! It wasn't me who suggested having a barbecue! y The computer gives me a headache. It is the computer that gives me a headache. y My uncle Tom came on Thursday. It was my uncle Tom who came on Thursday.

Examples
y Money is the thing people care about nowadays.

It is money the thing that people care about nowadays y These men a re totally ruthless. What these men are is totally ruthless. y We need better working conditions. What we need are better working conditions. I want for Christmas a new coat. All I want for Christmas is a new coat.