Strategies used in English for emphasis: cleft sentences

1. Cleft Sentences: Adding
Emphasis
Cleft sentences add emphasis to specific parts of information. They
highlight what we want listeners to focus on.
ADVANCED C LEVEL

2. Starting with Question Words and "All"
Using "What/how/why/where"
We place "what" or any other question word
at the beginning to emphasise our need.
Original: I need a holiday.
Cleft: What I need is a holiday.
Using "All"
We use "all“ + SUBJECT+ VERB at the beginning.
With two verbs: All I want is to pass the exam.
With one verb: All I did was copy a bit from the Internet.
Other examples with question words
• Why he left the party was a mystery to us
• How she managed to finish the tasks in Aula Virtual is what impressed everyone the most

3. The Person, Place, Time ,
Reason (and other words: the problem, fact,
point, thing…)
The person (who)
The person I spoke to was the American President.
The place where
The place where we stayed was the White House.
The first/last time
The last time I saw him was at the party on Saturday.
The reason why/that
The reason why I'm studying English is that I want a better job.

4. Using "It" for Emphasis
Emphasising places
It was England (that) we loved
It was in England where we really fell in love.
1
Emphasising time
It was last summer when we went to
England.
2
With personal pronouns/people
Use object form: It was me who won
an Oscar.
3
Practice tip
Use these structures in conversation
to sound more natural.
4

5. Using "What happens"
Structures
Present tense structure
Begin with "What happens is (that)..." to explain processes.
Example
What happens is you do a placement test and then register in the
appropriate course.
Past tense structure
Begin with "What happened was (that)..." to explain past events.
Example
What happened was I fell asleep in class and the teacher was angry.