Cleft Sentences
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Cleft sentences are used to emphasize a specific part of a sentence, such as the subject, object, or adverbial phrase. They begin with "what" or "it" clauses and use forms of the verb "be". For example, "What I enjoy most is learning English" emphasizes what is enjoyed most. "It is Jenny who spends all her money on shoes" emphasizes who is spending the money. Cleft sentences can also focus on time, place, or actions using "it" clauses like "It was in London that he met his first wife."
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Cleft Sentences
- 2. The usual word order for a sentence in English is SUBJECT+ VERB + OBJECT+ADVERBIAL PHRASE Ex. I enjoy learning English at Colegio Andino (subject) (verb) (object) (adverbial phrase) Giving Emphasis: Cleft Sentences
- 3. However, if we want to emphasize that I particularly enjoy learning English (more that anything else), we can use a cleft sentence . It begins with a what clause and the verb be : Ex. What I enjoy most is learning English. Ex. What I like most about you is your sense of Humor.
- 4. Similarly, if we want to emphasize a noun, we use a cleft structure with it + be + noun + that/who: Ex. Jenny spends all her money on shoes. It is Jenny who spends all her money on shoes. or: It is shoes that Jenny spends all her money on.
- 5. We can also use an it- cleft sentence to focus on other parts of the sentence: Ex. It was in London that he met his first wife. (place) Ex. It was only when he phoned that I realized what had happened. (time) Ex. It is learning English that I find most enjoyable nowadays. (gerund action)
- 6. Material selected by Danitza Lazcano Flores Teacher of English Master in Education and Educational counselor