Cleft Sentences — emphasis structure cho Writing + Speaking

Tại sao cần cleft

Cleft sentences add EMPHASIS to specific element. Useful in Writing (variety) + Speaking (intonation).

Normal

"John discovered the error."

Cleft variations

• "It was John who discovered the error." (emphasis on John)
• "What John discovered was the error." (emphasis on error)
• "All John did was discover the error." (emphasis on John's role)

Same meaning, different emphasis.

3 main cleft types

Type 1: It-cleft

Structure: It + be + emphasized element + that/who/which + rest

Use: Emphasize subject, object, or adverbial

Examples

• Subject emphasis: "It is education that drives social mobility."
• Object emphasis: "It was the pandemic that forced rapid change."
• Time emphasis: "It was in 1989 that the Berlin Wall fell."
• Place emphasis: "It is in cities where the impact is most visible."

IELTS application

Original: "Air pollution causes 4 million deaths annually."

Cleft: "It is air pollution that causes 4 million deaths annually."

Use when you want reader to FOCUS on a specific element.

Type 2: What-cleft (pseudo-cleft)

Structure: What + clause + be + emphasized element

Use: Emphasize ACTION, OBJECT, or REASON

Examples

• "What concerns me most is the lack of regulation."
• "What the government should do is invest in renewable energy."
• "What makes this approach effective is its inclusivity."

IELTS application

Original: "The lack of regulation concerns me most."

Cleft: "What concerns me most is the lack of regulation."

More impactful, draws attention to the emphasized element.

Type 3: All-cleft

Structure: All + clause + be + emphasized element

Use: Emphasize that something is the ONLY thing

Examples

• "All we need is collective will."
• "All the government has done is make speeches." (often critical)
• "All it takes is one small change."

Often has tone of "merely" or "simply".

Variations and combinations

Negation cleft

"It is not funding that's the problem, but distribution."

Double emphasis: rejects one + asserts another.

Cleft with reason