grammar (cleft sentence) · formal
It was + noun/adjective + that + clause
Cleft sentences (It was + X + that + clause) are used to focus or emphasize a particular element of a sentence.
Examples
“It was the teacher who suggested the extra classes.”
“It was only last year that the company expanded abroad.”
“It was safety, rather than cost, that influenced their decision.”
Band 8 sentence
“It was the lack of long-term planning, rather than short-term funding, that most clearly hampered the project's success.”
Collocations
- It was + X + that + clause
Common mistakes
It was the teacher suggested the extra classes.→It was the teacher who suggested the extra classes.
It was only last year that the company has expanded abroad.→It was only last year that the company expanded abroad.
It was safety, not cost influenced their decision.→It was safety, rather than cost, that influenced their decision.
Say it for a higher band
5The teacher suggested the extra classes (plain sentence)→6It was the teacher suggested the extra classes (missing 'who')→7+It was + noun/adjective + that + clause
Synonyms
The one who + V
Easily confused
The teacher suggested the extra classes.
“The teacher suggested the extra classes.”
It is + adjective + that + clause (emphasis on adjective)
“It is important that students practise regularly.”
Related words
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In Tenses
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