Grammar: cleft and pseudo-cleft sentences

A cleft sentence is a sentence which has been divided into two parts, each with its own verb, to emphasize a particular
piece of information. The first sentence begins with It plus the corresponding form of the verb to be, followed by the element
which is being emphasized, and the second is generally a that-relative clause. For example, the sentence My
brother married Alice in Oxford in 1999 can be turned into the following cleft sentences:

It was Alice that my brother married (in Oxford in 1999)

It was my brother that married Alice (in Oxford in 1999)
It was in Oxford that my brother married Alice (in 1999)
It was in 1999 that my brother married Alice (in Oxford)

If the antecedent is a person, who is sometimes used instead of that:

It was my brother who married Alice

It's my wife who drives the children to school

When there is a what-clause which emphasizes the action itself, we have a pseudo-cleft sentence:

You need love becomes what you need is love

If there is an infinitive, to is optional:

You've spoilt everything becomes What you've done is (to) spoil everything

All is used instead of what when the meaning is the only thing that:

The only thing I did was (to) drink a couple of beers becomes All I did was (to) drink a couple of beers.

Pseudo-cleft sentences headed by where or when are sometimes found:

Where the boss has his office is on the second floor

When I am most tired is in the evening

but, in pseudo-cleft sentences with where or when, the wh-clause is more usually found as subject complement:

Here is where the accident took place

This is where I work
Spring is when the countryside is most beautiful

Although they are not very common, some pseudo-cleft sentences with who or how are sometimes found:

Who I mean is the chief inspector or, more commonly, The chief inspector is who I mean
How he talked is with a Scottish accent or, more commonly, With a Scottish accent is how he talked

PRACTICE

* Build up cleft sentences emphasizing the element in italics:

a- I met my wife in Paris
b- We were married in September
c- Bruno reported us to the police
d - The manager himself wants to speak to you
e - Benidorm is a nice place for a holiday, but I'm going to Marbella this summer
f - My left leg hurts, not the right one

** Turn the following sentences into pseudo-cleft sentences, headed by the word in brackets:

a - You need a good cup of tea (what)

b - I'll write a letter to The Times (what)
c - I liked best her performance (what)
d - I only drank a couple of pints with my colleagues (all)

KEY

a - It was in Paris that I met my wife

b - Ii was in September that we were married
c - It was Bruno who/that reported us to the police
d - It's the manager himself who/that wants to speak to you
e - Benidorm is a nice place for a holiday, but it's to Marbella that I'm going this summer
f - It's my left leg that hurts, not the right one

a - What you need is a good cup of tea

b - What I'll do is (to) write a letter to The Times
c - What I liked best was her performance
d - All I did was (to) drink a couple of pints with my colleagues.