Cleft sentences
Definition
A cleft sentence divides one idea into two clauses so that one element receives special focus. Common patterns include It is / was X that... and What... is / was X.
Examples
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It was Lena who found the missing key.
The structure places strong focus on Lena.
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What I need is a quiet place to work.
The what-cleft focuses attention on the required thing.
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It is patience that makes the biggest difference.
The focused element is patience.
Cleft structure vs. neutral word order
Lena found the missing key.
The sentence reports the event without structurally isolating one element.
It was Lena who found the missing key.
The sentence contrasts Lena with other possible people.
The neutral sentence gives information directly. The cleft sentence reorganizes the same core meaning to make Lena the explicit focus.
Different cleft patterns focus different elements
Clefts can highlight a person, thing, time, place, reason or action. The choice of pattern depends on which part needs contrast or emphasis.
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It was after midnight that the power returned.
The cleft focuses on time.
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What she did was cancel the entire meeting.
The cleft focuses on the action that followed.
Common mistakes
It was Amir who he solved the problem.
It was Amir who solved the problem.
Do not repeat the focused person with an extra subject pronoun inside the relative clause.
What I need it is more time.
What I need is more time.
The what clause already functions as the subject, so an extra it is unnecessary.
Quick check
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly focuses on the person who called?
The correct it-cleft is It was Sara who called me.Which what-cleft is formed correctly?
What we need is a clause functioning as the subject, followed by is and the focused complement.Which sentence correctly focuses on the time of the meeting?
The statement uses the cleft frame It was + focused time + that-clause.Nice work — you've completed the quick check.
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