It-Clefts
Wh-Clefts (Pseudo-Clefts)
About Cleft Sentences exercises
A cleft sentence splits one clause into two parts so that one piece of information gets the main focus. English has two common types: it-clefts (It was Maria who called) and wh-clefts, also called pseudo-clefts (What I need is a rest). Practice is at C2 level, in multiple choice and gap fill.
Each question asks you to choose the word or phrase that completes the cleft correctly. Read the whole sentence first and find the part that receives the stress. In an it-cleft, that part comes straight after it is or it was: It was not until midnight that the bus arrived. In a wh-cleft, it comes after the verb be: What happened was that the power failed. Compare the plain sentence Maria called with the cleft It was Maria who called. Both are true, but only the cleft stresses who made the call.
- It-clefts that put a person or thing in focus (It was John who...)
- Time clefts: It was not until... that, It is only now that, It was then that
- Choosing who, which or that in the cleft clause
- Wh-clefts that start with what (What I need is...)
- Wh-clefts with the thing, the reason or the place that
- The pattern What happened was that...