Page 4 - SUPPLEMENTARY GRADE 12 UNIT 3
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2. What- Cleft
Wh-cleft sentences are most often introduced by WHAT, but we can also use
WHY,WHERE, HOW, etc.
The information in the wh-clause is typically old or understood information, while
the information in the following clause is new and in focus
Rules:
1. Emphasising the noun
What + understood information + is /was + emphasis
Example: What I hated most was the insects everywhere.
2. Emphasising the verb
What/All + subject + do/does/did + is/was + verb
Example: What they did was move us to another town.
3. Emphasising the whole sentence
What happens/happened + is/was + clause
Example: What happened was we got to the hotel and realised that our room had been double
booked.
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