Cleft Sentences
"What I need is..." and "It was John who..." — splitting a sentence for emphasis.
Score: 0 / 10
1. ___ I need is a good night’s sleep.
2. ___ was John who broke the window.
3. What surprised me ___ how calm she stayed.
4. It was the manager ___ approved the budget.
5. ___ we need to discuss is the new schedule.
6. It ___ the weather that ruined our trip, not the traffic.
7. ___ she really wants is more free time.
8. It was in 2015 ___ they first met.
9. ___ annoys me most is his constant complaining.
10. It was because of the traffic ___ we were late.
Answer key — Cleft Sentences (C1)
- A — What. A wh-cleft starts with What + clause + is/was + focus: What I need is…
- B — It. An it-cleft: It was + focus + who/that + clause.
- B — was. The verb "be" links the wh-clause to the focused information: What surprised me was…
- A — who. An it-cleft with a person as focus uses who (or that).
- A — What. Wh-cleft: What we need to discuss is…
- B — was. It-cleft: It was the weather that…
- A — What. Wh-cleft: What she really wants is…
- B — that. An it-cleft focusing on time or place typically uses that.
- A — What. Wh-cleft: What annoys me most is…
- B — that. An it-cleft focusing on a reason typically uses that.
Practice this live with a tutor
Work through tricky points like this one with an independent English tutor — they'll explain what the answer key can't. No commission, free to browse.
Find a tutor →