Cleft Sentences

It is/was ... that, What... is.. to emphasise.

Examples

• It was Tom who broke it.
• What I need is rest.

Key rules

• It-cleft: It was + focus + that/who + clause
• Wh-cleft: What I need is...
• They highlight new or contrasting information
• After it was, use object or subject forms correctly

Common mistakes

• It was John who broke it (not Tom)
• It was in 1990 when we met → It was in 1990 that we met