A cleft sentence splits one idea into two parts so you can shine a spotlight on the most important piece. Americans use them all the time in meetings and interviews to correct, contrast or highlight: "What we need is more time." "It was Maria who fixed it."
The pattern
What I need is a quiet place to work.
It was Jordan who found the error.
What she did was call every client personally.
01It-clefts: It was X that...
Start with it + be, then the part you want to stress, then a that or who clause with the rest. Use who or that for people and that for everything else. The verb be stays singular because it agrees with it: "It was the interns who..." This pattern is perfect for correcting someone.
| Plain sentence | It-cleft |
|---|---|
| Kevin sent the wrong file. | It was Kevin who sent the wrong file. |
| The shipping costs hurt our profits. | It was the shipping costs that hurt our profits. |
| We signed the deal on Monday. | It was on Monday that we signed the deal. |
| We heard back only in March. | It wasn't until March that we heard back. |
02Wh-clefts: What X is...
Put the known information in a what clause, add is or was, and finish with the new, important part. To focus on an action, use do in the what clause and a base verb after be: "What you should do is talk to HR." You can also start with All, The thing, The reason why or The place where, and you can flip the order: "A raise is what I want."
- What surprised me was how fast they replied.
- All we want is a straight answer.
- The thing that worries me is the timeline.
- The reason why I'm calling is to confirm Friday.
03Clefts and stress in American speech
The focus carries the main stress, and everything else is flatter and faster. In a wh-cleft, Americans often leave a small pause before the focus: "What I NEED... is a VAcation." Casual speakers love openers like What happened was and The thing is. You will also hear "The thing is is that..." with a double is. It is common in speech but avoid it in writing and exams.
04Common mistakes
What I need it is a break.
What I need is a break.
The what clause is already the subject, so do not add it.
It was my manager which approved it.
It was my manager who approved it.
Use who or that for people, never which.
It were the interns who organized the party.
It was the interns who organized the party.
In it-clefts, be agrees with it, so it stays singular.
The thing what bothers me is the noise.
The thing that bothers me is the noise.
What cannot follow a noun. Use that.