What Do You Already Know?
These are all ways to make a sentence more emphatic or to highlight one part of it. Without looking anything up:
How might you rephrase this to make it more emphatic?
Sarah finished the project.
What about this — is there a way to shift the focus to "last night" instead of the whole action?
I discovered the truth.
Have you heard of "what" structures in English? Can you construct something with "What I need is..." or "What matters is..."?
Don't worry if you're not sure. We'll build these together.
Standard Cleft: It is/was...that/who
The Pattern
The focus is the part you want to emphasise.
See It In Action
John broke the window.
It was John who broke the window.
What changed? We put John (the person we want to emphasise) in the spotlight. The focus is on who did the action — not the action itself.
More Examples
The weather ruined our holiday.
It was the weather that ruined our holiday.
Focus: the weather (the cause) — making a complaint or explanation more pointed.
She finished the work at midnight.
It was at midnight that she finished the work.
Focus: at midnight (the time) — emphasising the lateness or urgency.
I Do: Teacher Models
Watch the focus shift:
Sentence: The government passed the law in 2015.
It was the government that passed the law in 2015. (Focus: who made the decision)
It was the law that the government passed in 2015. (Focus: what was passed)
It was in 2015 that the government passed the law. (Focus: when it happened)
Same sentence. Three different ways to draw attention to different parts. Choose your focus, change the emphasis.
We Do: Build It Together
The focus is on the person who made the discovery.
Now the focus is on what she found, not the person.
You Do: Your Turn
Create a cleft sentence that emphasises Monday. Say it aloud.
What-Cleft & Participle Clauses
What-Cleft (Pseudo-Cleft)
The structure inverts the normal sentence. You lead with "what" — the action — then state what you need, want, or emphasise.
See It In Action
I need a holiday.
What I need is a holiday.
Why this matters: The what-cleft emphasises the solution or focus. It sounds more emphatic and natural in speech.
You should focus on the core message.
What you should focus on is the core message.
The company lacks qualified staff.
What the company lacks is qualified staff.
Effect: More formal, more emphatic. Common in speeches and debates.
Participle Clauses: Shortening with -ing and -ed
Present Participle: -ing (the action is ongoing)
Past Participle: -ed (the action is completed)
Why use participles? They shorten sentences and make them flow better. Instead of "Although she was tired, she kept working," you can say "Tired, she kept working."
Present Participle (-ing)
As I was walking home, I saw a fox.
Walking home, I saw a fox.
The participle shows what happened at the same time.
Since she was frustrated, she left the meeting early.
Frustrated, she left the meeting early.
Past Participle (-ed)
The feedback that we received was critical.
The feedback received was critical.
Removing the relative clause (that we received) makes it tighter.
After she was invited to the conference, she prepared her talk for weeks.
Invited to the conference, she prepared her talk for weeks.
You Do: Build From Scratch
Practise: Your Turns
Now you build. We've mixed three different structures — standard cleft, what-cleft, and participles. You choose which one fits best.
Rewrite: "Climate change caused the floods."
Focus on climate change. Which structure would you use — standard cleft or participle?
You could also say: "Caused by climate change, the floods devastated the region." Both work — different styles.
Turn this into a what-cleft: "You must prioritise communication."
Shorten using a past participle: "When asked to lead the project, she accepted immediately."
Rewrite: "The budget cuts affected morale."
This time, focus on morale (the result) instead of the cuts.
This shifts focus to the consequence, not the cause.
Shorten: "While standing in the rain, he realised he'd forgotten his keys."
Cleft sentences are powerful in presentations, debates, and storytelling. They let you steer the listener's attention exactly where you want it. In writing, they're less common but still effective. In speaking, they make you sound more deliberate and emphatic.
Apply: Real Talk
Now you use these structures in real scenarios. Respond naturally. Aim for one or two cleft sentences in each answer.
Your team missed a deadline. You're explaining to your manager what went wrong. You want to emphasise that lack of communication was the real problem, not laziness.
Hint: Use a cleft sentence to highlight the real issue.
A friend is discouraged about their job search. You're encouraging them. What do they really need to do? Use a what-cleft.
You're recounting a memory. You arrived somewhere beautiful, and it surprised you. Use a participle clause to compress the action and set the scene.
Mix & Speak: Interleaved Challenge
You don't know which type is coming. Respond to each prompt with the right cleft structure.
Rewrite: "Hard work determines success." Emphasise hard work.
Turn into a what-cleft: "You really want understanding."
Shorten with a participle: "Because she was inspired by the speech, she changed careers."
Rewrite to emphasise trust: "Without trust, relationships fail."
Shorten using a present participle: "When facing setbacks, resilience is what separates winners from quitters."
When you see a prompt like "Rewrite to emphasise X," your first move is to identify what you want to highlight. Then choose: Do I need a cleft (It is/was...)? A what-structure? Or would a participle tighten the language? The structure follows the rhetorical goal — not the other way around.
Recall & Reflect
Let's step back. Recall what you've learned. No notes.
Spaced Recall: Bring It Back
Well done. You've moved from recognition to production to real-world speech. That's the arc of learning.