Cleft sentences
Split a sentence into two clauses to put the focus exactly where you want it.
20 minAdvanced
1The grammar
A cleft sentence divides one idea into two clauses so that one element stands out. Compare the neutral 'The Treasury raised the alarm' with 'It was the Treasury that raised the alarm', which rejects any other candidate.
An it-cleft follows the pattern it + be + focus + that/who clause. The focus can be a subject, an object or an adverbial, but not the main verb. A wh-cleft follows what-clause + be + focus: 'What the report lacks is a clear recommendation.' Variants include all-clefts ('All we need is time') and reversed forms ('That is what worries us').
To focus on an action, use 'do' in the wh-clause and a base form after 'be', with or without 'to': 'What the council did was (to) reject the plan.' Clefts are common in writing and speech, but they should be used when you really need contrast or emphasis.
2Structure and formation
It-cleft
It + be + focus + that/who + rest of clause
It was the auditors who found the error.
Wh-cleft
What + clause + be + focus
What the airline needs is a new strategy.
Action focus
What + subject + do + be + (to) + base verb
What the board did was (to) replace the director.
All-cleft
All + (that) + clause + be + focus
All the panel asked for was more time.
Reversed wh-cleft
That/This + be + wh-clause
That is why the talks failed.
3Examples
It was the Treasury that first raised concerns about the contract.
The focus is on the subject; the implied contrast is with other departments.
It was in 1989 that the two governments resumed talks.
An adverbial of time is the focus.
What the study reveals is a widening gap between regions.
The wh-clause sets up the topic; the new information comes last.
What the airline did was cancel all its regional routes.
'Do' is used to focus on the action, followed by a base form.
All the inquiry needs now is access to the records.
An all-cleft means 'the only thing'.
That is where the previous strategy went wrong.
A reversed cleft points back to something already mentioned.
The reason the deal collapsed is that neither side trusted the other.
A 'the reason' cleft introduces the cause with 'that'.
4Common mistakes
It was the CEO which approved the deal.
It was the CEO who approved the deal.
For a person as focus, use 'who' or 'that', not 'which'.
What we need it is more time.
What we need is more time.
A wh-clause is the subject of 'be'; no extra 'it' is added.
What the council did was rejected the plan.
What the council did was reject the plan.
After 'What ... did was', use the base form, with or without 'to'.
All what the jury wanted was a clear answer.
All the jury wanted was a clear answer.
In an all-cleft, 'all' is followed by a clause with or without 'that', never 'what'.
The reason why the project failed is because it lacked funding.
The reason why the project failed is that it lacked funding.
'The reason ... is because' is common in speech, but careful formal writing prefers 'the reason ... is that'.
5Practical usage
Correcting and contrasting
It-clefts are useful for correcting a belief: 'It wasn't the price that put buyers off; it was the location.'
Signposting in writing and talks
Wh-clefts set up the next point and delay the key information to the end: 'What this means for local firms is higher costs.'
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