Cleft Sentences in Detail
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#### Objectives
– Understand the structure and purpose of cleft sentences.
– Identify different types of cleft sentences.
– Learn how to construct cleft sentences to emphasize specific parts of a sentence.
– Apply cleft sentences effectively for clarity and emphasis in writing.
#### Topics
1. **Introduction to Cleft Sentences**
2. **Types of Cleft Sentences**
– It-Cleft Sentences
– Wh-Cleft Sentences (Pseudo-Cleft Sentences)
– All-Cleft Sentences
– What-Cleft Sentences
3. **Examples and Detailed Explanations**
4. **Common Errors and Corrections**
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### 1. Introduction to Cleft Sentences
**Definition:**
– A cleft sentence is a complex sentence that has been divided into two clauses to emphasize a specific part of the sentence. The term “cleft” means “divided.”
**Importance:**
– Adds emphasis to a particular element of a sentence by splitting it into two clauses.
– Enhances clarity and style.
– Useful in both spoken and written English for focusing on key information.
### 2. Types of Cleft Sentences
#### A. It-Cleft Sentences
**Structure:**
– **Pattern:** It + be + emphasized element + relative clause
– **Purpose:** To emphasize the subject, object, or adverbial by placing it after “It is/was.”
**Examples:**
– **Subject Emphasis:** It was *John* who solved the problem.
– **Object Emphasis:** It is *a new car* that she bought yesterday.
– **Adverbial Emphasis:** It is *in the park* that he plays every morning.
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#### B. Wh-Cleft Sentences (Pseudo-Cleft Sentences)
**Structure:**
– **Pattern:** Wh-word + clause + be + emphasized element
– **Purpose:** To emphasize the complement or the focal point of the sentence using a wh-clause.
**Examples:**
– **Subject Emphasis:** What he needs is *a good rest*.
– **Object Emphasis:** What she bought was *a new car*.
– **Action Emphasis:** What he did was *leave the meeting early*.
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#### C. All-Cleft Sentences
**Structure:**
– **Pattern:** All + clause + be + emphasized element
– **Purpose:** To emphasize the entirety or completeness of a specific element.
**Examples:**
– **Focus on Action:** All he did was *complain*.
– **Focus on Subject or Object:** All they want is *a fair chance*.
– **Focus on Adverbial:** All you need to do is *to arrive on time*.
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#### D. What-Cleft Sentences
**Structure:**
– **Pattern:** What + clause + be + emphasized element
– **Purpose:** Similar to wh-cleft sentences but specifically starts with “What” to emphasize a particular aspect.
**Examples:**
– **Explanation or Definition:** What you need to do is *practice more*.
– **Cause or Reason:** What caused the problem was *a lack of communication*.
– **Outcome or Result:** What happened was *that he missed the bus*.
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### 3. Examples and Detailed Explanations
#### A. It-Cleft Sentences
1. **Original:** John solved the problem.
– **It-Cleft:** It was *John* who solved the problem.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “John” as the person who solved the problem.
2. **Original:** She bought a new car yesterday.
– **It-Cleft:** It is *a new car* that she bought yesterday.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “a new car” as the object bought.
3. **Original:** He plays in the park every morning.
– **It-Cleft:** It is *in the park* that he plays every morning.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “in the park” as the location of the action.
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#### B. Wh-Cleft Sentences (Pseudo-Cleft Sentences)
1. **Original:** A good rest is what he needs.
– **Wh-Cleft:** What he needs is *a good rest*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “a good rest” as the necessary action.
2. **Original:** She bought a new car.
– **Wh-Cleft:** What she bought was *a new car*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “a new car” as the object purchase.
3. **Original:** He left the meeting early.
– **Wh-Cleft:** What he did was *leave the meeting early*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes the action of leaving early.
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#### C. All-Cleft Sentences
1. **Original:** He complained all day.
– **All-Cleft:** All he did was *complain*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes the action of complaining.
2. **Original:** They want a fair chance.
– **All-Cleft:** All they want is *a fair chance*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “a fair chance” as their main desire.
3. **Original:** Arrive on time.
– **All-Cleft:** All you need to do is *arrive on time*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “arrive on time” as the necessary action.
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#### D. What-Cleft Sentences
1. **Original:** Practice more.
– **What-Cleft:** What you need to do is *practice more*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “practice more” as the required action.
2. **Original:** A lack of communication caused the problem.
– **What-Cleft:** What caused the problem was *a lack of communication*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “a lack of communication” as the cause of the problem.
3. **Original:** He missed the bus.
– **What-Cleft:** What happened was *that he missed the bus*.
– **Explanation:** Emphasizes “that he missed the bus” as the event that occurred.
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### 4. Common Errors and Corrections
**Common Errors:**
– Incorrect placement of the emphasized element.
– Using improper verb forms.
– Misalignment of subject-verb agreement.
**Error Examples and Corrections:**
1. **Error:** It is the park that he plays every morning.
– **Correction:** It is *in the park* that he plays every morning.
– **Explanation:** Corrects the location of emphasis.
2. **Error:** What she needs is practice more.
– **Correction:** What she needs is *to practice more*.
– **Explanation:** Corrects the infinitive form of the verb.
3. **Error:** All he do was complain.
– **Correction:** All he *did* was complain.
– **Explanation:** Corrects the verb form to match the past tense subject.
4. **Error:** It was John solved the problem.
– **Correction:** It was *John who* solved the problem.
– **Explanation:** Adds the necessary relative pronoun to properly form the cleft sentence.
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By mastering the use of cleft sentences, you can effectively highlight key elements of your writing, adding emphasis and clarity. This will help engage readers and convey your message more powerfully.
