Page 140 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

cleft sentences (2): it was my secretary who ... 131
cleft sentences (2): it was my secretary who • • • 1 preparatory it
We can use preparatory it (see 446) in cleft sentences. The words to be emphasised are usually joined to the relative clause by that.
Compare:
My secretary sent the bill to Mr Harding yesterday.
It was my secretary that sent the bill to Mr Harding yesterday.
(not somebody else)
It was the biU that my secretary sent to Mr Harding yesterday.
(not something else)
It was Mr Harding that my secretary sent the bill to yesterday.
(not to somebody else)
It was yesterday that my secretary sent the bill to Mr Harding.
(not another day)
Negative structures are also possible.
It wasn't my husband that sent the bill ...
Who is possible instead of that when a personal subject is emphasised.
It was my secretary who sent . ..
When a plural subject is emphasised, the verb is plural.
It was the students that were angry . .. (NOT ••• that wtl:S angry ...) The verb cannot be emphasised with this structure: we cannot say
It wtl:S sent that my seeretary the bill. .. . 2 ItisIwho...;Itismethat...
When an emphasised subject is a pronoun, there are two possibilities. Compare:
- It is I who am responsible. (formal)
It's me that's/who's responsible. (informal)
- It is you who are in the wrong. (formal)
It's you that's in the wrong. (informal)
To avoid being either too formal or too informal in this case, we could say, for example,
I'm the person / the one who's responsible.
132 close and shut 1 use
Close {klauz/ and shut can often be used with the same meaning. Open your mouth and close/shut your eyes.
I can't close/shut the window. Can you help me?
The shop closes/shuts at five o'clock.
You can shut, but not close, somebody/something in or out of a place.
I shut the letters in my desk drawer and locked it. (NOT I eI6sed the letters . ..) She shut him out ofthe house.
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