Mr.Maru: Are you watching the latest episode of Found?
Sparky: Yeah, it's really confusing though. Um, Jack is the doctor right?
Mr.Maru: No, it was Bob that was the doctor.
Sparky: And Jane is in love with him right?
Mr.Maru: No, no it was Jenny that was in love with him. But now, Holly is in love with him.
Sparky: When did she fall in love with him?
Mr.Maru: Last episode, don't you remember?
Sparky: I don't know why I keep watching this show. It's too confusing.
Mr.Maru: But, I want to know what happens in the end. I can't stop.
What is an it-cleft? How do you use it-clefts? When do use an it cleft? Let's talk about this incredibly useful piece of grammar.
 What are clefts?
Clefts are when we cut a sentence apart and re-arrange it for more emphasis on the subject, object or action. Clefts are commonly used to correct someone, but they can be used in other cases as well.
 What is an it-cleft?
An it-cleft is when we use the pronoun 'it' to re-arrange the sentence and form a cleft. Let's look at a regular sentence: I walked the dog in the park. We can cut this sentence into two parts: It was the park. That was where I walked the dog. Then, we can make it one sentence for emphasis: It was the park where I walked the dog. We can also emphasize the object, 'dog': It was the dog I walked in the park. This sentence sounds a bit strange by itself though. That's because it-clefts are usually used to correct someone. For example, A: Thanks for walking the cat!
B: It was the dog I walked in the park not the cat.
A: Oh, Ok, I see now. We can also use an it-cleft to emphasize the subject: A: So, thanks Jane for walking the dog.
B: It was I who walked the dog in the park not Jane.
A: Um, right, thanks! Thanks for walking the dog. Be careful! We use the subject pronouns (I, he, she) when emphasizing the subject not object pronouns (me, him, her). Do you think you understand? Let's take a short quiz. It-cleft Quiz
1) John is dating Jane. A: John is dating Jenny, right?
B: _____________________. A) It is Jenny that John is dating not Jane.
B) It is Jane that John is dating not Jenny.
C) It is she that John is dating not Jenny. 2) Jack worked on his computer until 8. A: When did Jack work on his computer? B:____________________________ A) It was until 8 that Jack worked on his computer.
B) I don't know.
C) It was 8 that Jack worked on his computer. 3) Mary went to Harvard University last fall. A: Jenny went to Harvard University last fall, right?
B: ______________________________________ A) It was Mary went to Harvard University last fall.
B) It was Mary that went to Harvard University last fall.
C) It was she that went to Harvard University last fall. Answers1) B) - John is dating Jane. C) is wrong because we don't know who 'she' is.
2) A)
3) B) - We need the relative pronoun 'that' because the head noun of the clause is the same as what is being modified. Thanks for stopping by. If you have a difficult grammar question, please let me know. You can send it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | 
Teacher Stumpers 
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