Cleft sentences
What I learned in Boating School is...
Cleft sentences are one way to add emphasis to what we want to say. The word "cleft" means divided or split. A cleft sentence is a sentence in which some part is moved from its normal position into a different place to give it more emphasis.
Normal sentence structure: I need a real holiday.
Cleft sentence: What I need is a real holiday.
What happened to the normal sentence? Which words did we add?
The part of the sentence that has the verb
is / arewas / were
What + verb clause + verb be + noun or noun phrase (the thing or object).
What I really hated was the insects everywhere.
Typical sentence: I really hated the insects everywhere.
More examples
Cleft sentence
Normal sentence
What Amanda wants is a good job.
Amanda wants a good job.
What I loved the most at the party was the food.
I loved the food the most at the party.
Piano always puts me to sleep.
What always puts me to sleep is piano.
What made everyone laugh was Steve Carell's movie.
Steve Carell's movie made everyone laugh.
Answer the questions using cleft sentences.
What do you want right now?
What I want right now is a green tamal.
What do you like/hate the most about Bad Bunny's music?
What I like the most about Bad Bunny's music is the song beats.
What did you listen to this morning?
What I listened to this morning was a podcast.
Cleft Sentences PDU10
Lily Pimentel
Created on May 16, 2023
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Transcript
Cleft sentences
What I learned in Boating School is...
Cleft sentences are one way to add emphasis to what we want to say. The word "cleft" means divided or split. A cleft sentence is a sentence in which some part is moved from its normal position into a different place to give it more emphasis.
Normal sentence structure: I need a real holiday.
Cleft sentence: What I need is a real holiday.
What happened to the normal sentence? Which words did we add?
The part of the sentence that has the verb
is / arewas / were
What + verb clause + verb be + noun or noun phrase (the thing or object).
What I really hated was the insects everywhere.
Typical sentence: I really hated the insects everywhere.
More examples
Cleft sentence
Normal sentence
What Amanda wants is a good job.
Amanda wants a good job.
What I loved the most at the party was the food.
I loved the food the most at the party.
Piano always puts me to sleep.
What always puts me to sleep is piano.
What made everyone laugh was Steve Carell's movie.
Steve Carell's movie made everyone laugh.
Answer the questions using cleft sentences.
What do you want right now?
What I want right now is a green tamal.
What do you like/hate the most about Bad Bunny's music?
What I like the most about Bad Bunny's music is the song beats.
What did you listen to this morning?
What I listened to this morning was a podcast.