C1 Advanced Emphasis, inversion, cleft sentences
Cleft sentences
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can foreground any part of a sentence with a cleft — an essential C1 writing tool.
When to use it
- Highlighting who: It was Nam who broke the window.
- Highlighting when or where: It was in 2020 that they moved.
- Highlighting what matters: What I need is more time.
- Politely correcting someone's information.
Form
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| emphasising a person | It + be + person + who / that | It was Nam who called. |
| emphasising a thing, time or place | It + be + … + that | It was yesterday that we met. |
| emphasising an action | What + clause + be + … | What I need is more time. |
| emphasising a limitation | All + clause + be + … | All I want is peace. |
| emphasising a reason | The reason why … is … | The reason why he left is unclear. |
Step by step
- Decide which element you want to foreground.
- A person, thing, time or place → use It + be + … + that/who.
- A whole idea or a need → use What … is ….
- Remember: after What … the verb is always singular.
One sentence, several emphases
| Emphasis on | Cleft |
|---|---|
| person | It was Nam who broke the window yesterday. |
| thing | It was the window that Nam broke yesterday. |
| time | It was yesterday that Nam broke the window. |
| action | What Nam did was break the window. |
Examples
It was Nam who broke the window, not me.
It was in Hue that I met her.
What I need is a good night's sleep.
What he said upset me, not how he said it.
All I want is a little peace.
It was her patience that impressed me most.
Common mistakes
What I need are more time. → What I need is more time.
After What … the verb is always singular, since what stands for the thing that.
It was Nam which broke the window. → It was Nam who broke the window.
People take who or that, never which.
Is Nam who broke the window. → It was Nam who broke the window.
A cleft must start with the dummy subject It.
Memory tip
A cleft moves the key information to the front while staying grammatical. One or two well-placed clefts make an essay noticeably stronger.
Summary
- It + be + element + that / who — for people, things, times, places.
- What + clause + is + … — for ideas; the verb is always singular.
- All + clause + is + … — for a restrictive emphasis.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.