Teaching Cleft Sentences: It-Clefts and What-Clefts

March 2026 · Advanced Grammar

Cleft sentences restructure information to emphasize a specific element. "John broke the window" becomes "It was John who broke the window", same meaning, different focus. For C1-C2 learners, clefts add sophistication to writing and speaking.

Types of Cleft Sentences

It-Clefts

"It + be + focused element + that/who + rest"

• "It was the noise that woke me up" (focusing on what)
• "It was yesterday that I met her" (focusing on when)

What-Clefts (Pseudo-Clefts)

"What + subject + verb + be + focused element"

• "What I need is a holiday"
• "What surprised me was her reaction"

All-Clefts

"All + subject + verb + be + focused element"

• "All I want is some peace and quiet"

Activities

1. Transform neutral sentences into cleft sentences emphasizing different elements
2. Match cleft sentences with the element being emphasized
3. Write persuasive paragraphs using clefts for emphasis
4. Identify clefts in news articles and speeches

FAQ

Related Resources

• Teaching Inversion
• Teaching Subjunctive
• Ellipsis and Substitution
• Reported Speech

Edooqoo: Teaching Cleft Sentences: It-Clefts and What-Clefts. Focus and emphasis structures with transformation and production activities for advanced ESL. It-clefts, what-clefts, and all-clefts explained. Every AI output is reviewed and edited by the teacher before a student ever sees it.