Cleft Sentences in Speaking, Writing

This is Everyday Grammar.

Today, I want to begin by asking you to listen to two sentences and compare their meanings. Are the meanings the same or different? Here are the sentences:

Sammy ate the pizza.

It was Sammy who ate the pizza.

So, what did you decide?

This is the answer: The first sentence, "Sammy ate the pizza," is just a simple statement of fact. The speaker isn't trying to emphasize – or, call attention to – anything special here.

But in the second sentence, "It was Sammy who ate the pizza," the speaker is emphasizing that Sammy did the action, not some other person. It is an example of a cleft¹ sentence.

Cleft sentences are one of many ways English speakers use to emphasize part of a sentence. On today's program, we will talk about the most common type of cleft sentences: the it-cleft.

What is a cleft sentence?

The word "cleft" means partially² divided or split³. Cleft sentences are "divided" into two parts to emphasize something.

We use a cleft sentence to add new or important information to what the listener already knows. They are especially useful in written form because, in writing, we can't show stress with our voices.

However, some types of clefts⁴, such as the it-cleft, are also common in speaking.

Think about the example again.

Suppose you were late to a pizza party. Your friend said she would save you two pieces. But by the time you arrived, all the pizza was gone. You think you know who ate your slices.

Listen to a short exchange:

Claudia ate the pizza, didn't she? She loves pizza.

No. It was Sammy who ate the pizza. He came late, too, and didn't know I was saving it for you.

In this example, your friend uses a cleft sentence to emphasize that Sammy ate your pizza, not Claudia.

It-clefts

Now that you have a basic understanding, let's explore it-clefts.

The structure of these sentences tells us exactly what word or words we are supposed to pay attention to. The structure is:

It + BE verb + emphasized information + who/that/when +

known information

Notice that the emphasized information always appears after It + BE verb. Most it-clefts use the past tense of BE and begin with the words "It was."

Listen to a simple sentence and I'll show you the possible it-clefts. Here's the simple sentence:

The girls won the top science prize yesterday.

A few things can be emphasized in this sentence. Here are three possible it-clefts:

It was the girls who won the top science prize yesterday.

Here, the speaker is noting that the girls, not the boys or some other group, won the top prize.

It was yesterday when the girls won the top science prize.

Here, the speaker is noting that their win happened yesterday, not some other day.

It was the top science prize that the girls won yesterday.

And here, the speaker is noting that the girls won the top science prize, not second, third or last prize.

A tale of two clauses⁶

It-cleft sentences are usually made of two clauses. You may remember that a clause⁵ is a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb.

Some clauses can be complete sentences on their own. They are independent clauses. Some cannot be complete sentences. They are dependent clauses.

It-cleft sentences have both an independent clause and a dependent clause. It + BE verb is the independent clause. The rest of the sentence is a dependent clause.

Sound complex? Not to worry! You can learn more about clauses in other Everyday Grammar programs.

The goal today is knowing how to make it-cleft sentences and knowing they have two parts -- the first part with new information; the second with known or old information.

For instance, in the sentence "It was the girls who won the top science prize yesterday," the first part, "It was the girls," has new information. The second part, "...won the top science prize yesterday," is information already known to the listener.

More about it-clefts

Wow, I've said a mouthful already! But I want to briefly⁷ tell you one more thing: Cleft sentences often take other forms in everyday speech and writing.

For example, they can take a question form, like this:

Was it the girls who won the top science prize yesterday?

They can also take a negative form, like this:

It wasn't the girls who won the top science prize yesterday.

That's all for now. Watch for other programs on cleft sentences in the coming weeks.

Words in This Story

emphasize - n. to give special importance or attention given to something (synonym of stress)

type - n. a particular kind or group of things or people

stress - n. special importance or attention that is given to something (synonym of emphasis)

1 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

2 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

3 split   

n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开

参考例句：

• Who told you that Mary and I had split up?谁告诉你玛丽和我已经离婚了？
• The teacher split the class up into six groups.老师把班级分成6个小组。

4 clefts   

n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 )；裂口；cleave的过去式和过去分词；进退维谷

参考例句：

• Clefts are often associated with other more serious congenital defects. 裂口常与其他更严重的先天性异常并发。 来自辞典例句
• Correction of palate clefts is much more difficult and usually not as satisfactory. 硬腭裂的矫正更为困难，且常不理想。 来自辞典例句

5 clause   

n.（正式文件或法律文件的）条款，从句，分句

参考例句：

• The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
• What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款？

6 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。