Page 99 - English (107) for hospitality 2021-22

English for Tourism & Hospitality (107) by Prof. Adel AlSheikh

6) Cleft Sentences

We use cleft sentences, especially in
speaking, to connect what is already
understood to what is new to the listener. In
a cleft sentence, a single message is divided
(cleft) into two clauses. This allows us to
focus on the new information.
Many times when we write we try to highlight
or emphasis a particular portion of a
sentence. Sentences that are written in this
fashion are referred to as Cleft Sentences.
A cleft sentence consists of two parts, often
starting with "it" or "wh-". For example "It
was the lecturer who started the
experiment." It-clefts are relatively frequent
in academic texts.
Choose the correct option to complete the
sentences below.

1. ……………………… about the place is the weather.
(a) that I don’t like
(b) the reason I don’t like
(c) what I don’t like

2. ………………………… who lent him the money.

(a) Mary it was (b) Mary (c) It was Mary

3. What we did is ……………a letter to apologize.

(a) writing (b) write (c) wrote

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