Cleft Sentences | ESL Master

A cleft sentence is one neutral sentence “split” into two clauses to put extra emphasis on a particular piece of information. The two main types are it-clefts (It was Maria who told me) and wh-clefts or pseudo-clefts (What you need is a holiday). They are essential for natural-sounding C1 writing and for spoken contrast and correction.

It-Clefts

The structure is It + be + emphasised element + that/who-clause.

Neutral	Cleft
Maria told me about the meeting.	It was Maria who told me about the meeting.
I met him in 2018.	It was in 2018 that I met him.
She lost her keys, not her phone.	It was her keys that she lost, not her phone.

Use who or that for people; use that for things, places, and times.

It was the noise that woke me up.

It is at weekends that I feel most relaxed.

It-clefts are especially common when correcting a wrong assumption or contrasting two pieces of information.

A: I heard Tom organised the party. B: Actually, it was Lisa who organised it.

Wh-Clefts (Pseudo-Clefts)

The structure is What + clause + be + emphasised element. The new or important information goes at the end.

Neutral	Cleft
I need a long holiday.	What I need is a long holiday.
She admires his honesty.	What she admires is his honesty.
He did not say a word.	What he did not do was say a word.

Wh-clefts work well at the start of a paragraph or when you want to build up to the key point.

What surprised me most was how calm she stayed.

You can also use this pattern with + infinitive to emphasise an action.

What you should do is call her. What he did was apologise immediately.

All / The Only Thing / The Reason

These structures work like wh-clefts but add a flavour of that’s the only thing or the cause was.

Pattern	Example
`All (that) + clause + be + …`	All I want is a quiet evening.
`The only thing + clause + be + …`	The only thing he said was “thanks”.
`The thing + clause + be + …`	The thing I dislike is the noise.
`The reason (why) + clause + be + …`	The reason I called is that I need help.
`The place where + clause + be + …`	The place where they met was Paris.

All often suggests only and downplays the result. The reason introduces a cause.

All I did was ask a question. (= I only asked a question; the reaction was excessive.)

The reason she left early was that she felt unwell.

Register and Use

Form	Typical use
It-cleft	Correcting, contrasting, identifying who/what/when.
Wh-cleft	Building up to a key point in writing or speech.
All-cleft	Minimising; sounding modest or defensive.
Reason-cleft	Explaining cause clearly.

C1 writers often combine clefts with other features — passive voice, fronting, emphatic do — to control the rhythm of an argument. Clefts are common in academic writing, journalism, and formal speech.

Common Mistakes

Avoid	Use
It was Maria she told me.	It was Maria who told me.
What I need it is a break.	What I need is a break.
All what I want is peace.	All (that) I want is peace.
The reason because I left was tiredness.	The reason (why) I left was tiredness.
It is in 2020 when we moved.	It was in 2020 that we moved.

Practice: Exercises

1 / 15

It was Sarah ___ broke the window, not Tom.

Summary

Cleft sentences split a single idea into two clauses to add emphasis. Use it-clefts (It was X who/that…) to identify, contrast, or correct. Use wh-clefts (What I want is…) to build up to a key point. Use all-clefts to minimise (All I did was ask) and reason-clefts to explain cause. C1 writers reach for these structures to control focus, rhythm, and tone in formal prose and persuasive speech.