cleft sentence / emphasis · neutral
What + clause + is + clause
A cleft structure used for emphasis: 'What X does/is/was is that Y' — highlights the information after 'is'.
Examples
“What worries me is that the statistics are outdated.”
“What students need most is guidance on time management.”
“What matters is that we make steady progress, not that we rush.”
Band 8 sentence
“What concerns policymakers most is that short-term gains frequently mask long-term social costs.”
Collocations
- What + clause + is + that + clause
Common mistakes
What worries me are that the statistics are outdated.→What worries me is that the statistics are outdated.
The thing what worries me is that the statistics are outdated.→What worries me is that the statistics are outdated.
Say it for a higher band
5A simple sentence without cleft (X is that ...)→6It is/was + X + that + clause (basic cleft)→7+What + clause + is + clause (full cleft as emphasis)
Synonyms
It is/was + X + that + clause
Easily confused
It is/was + X + that + clause
“It was the unexpected delay that caused most problems.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Complex sentences
Learn it with its set