UNIT 18 CLEFT SENTENCES AND OTHER WAYS OF EMPHASISING María Carabias Cela Celia López-Rúa

Cleft sentences  A cleft sentence is a complex sentence (one having a main clause and a dependent clause) that has a meaning that could be expressed by a simple sentence.  Cleft sentences create emphasis by using a relative clause.

Cleft sentences  Thing/something  Person/someone The thing (that) I hate is your irresponsibility One person (who) I can´t stand is the new boss

Cleft sentences  Only/all for excluding less important things The only thing I need is silence/I only need silence/all I need is silence all I need is silence  Thing can be replaced by what What I truly enjoyed was the amusement park/ The amusement park was what I truly enjoyed.

Cleft sentences  Express action in the main clause: be + infinitive clause What we often do on cold, dark winter nights is a big fire THE MAIN CLAUSE CONTAINS THE VERB TO BE

Cleft sentences  Impersonal cleft sentences: it + be It was you who failed the exam, not me It was the exam what you failed USED FOR EMPHASISING THE SUBJECT OR THE OBJECT

Cleft sentences  To emphasise the subject or the object in a sentence My brother cut down the apple tree It was my brother who cut down the apple tree It was the apple tree that my brother cut down

Other ways of emphasising:  Use of so and such  He’s such a nice girl!  Exagerating lexis  We’re starving!  Intensifying adverb  She’s absolutely amazing  Use of simile  You’re as hot as fire!

Other ways of emphasising  Use of on earth, after a question word  Why on earth did you say that?  Use of inversion after a negative adverbial  Under no circumstances would he agree to that  Use of inversion after a restricting adverbial  Little did she guess what would happen next

Other ways of emphasising  Stressed auxiliary verbs to show determination, to convince or to contradit  I will finish the race  I am going to tell him the truth  She is coming. I can promise