Cleft Sentence Quiz

Cleft Sentences in English

• A cleft sentence is a sentence that emphasizes a particular piece of information by dividing the sentence into two clauses, with the emphasized information in the first clause.
• The purpose of using a cleft sentence is to draw attention to specific information, to add emphasis, or to create a sense of drama.
• An example of a cleft sentence is: "It was the new policy that surprised everyone."
• In a cleft sentence, 'it' is a dummy subject that takes the place of the actual subject, serving as a placeholder to introduce the emphasized information.
• A cleft sentence is different from a regular sentence in that it has a more complex structure, with a split between the emphasized information and the rest of the sentence.
• A characteristic of a cleft sentence is that it uses a placeholder subject (usually 'it') to introduce the emphasized information, and often uses a be-verb to link the two clauses.
• The function of 'it' in a cleft sentence is to act as a placeholder subject, allowing the speaker or writer to emphasize a particular piece of information.
• In a cleft sentence, X can be a noun phrase, a pronoun, a verb phrase, or a prepositional phrase, among other possibilities.

Test your understanding of cleft sentences with this quiz! Learn how to construct and identify cleft sentences in English and understand their purpose in emphasizing specific elements.