cleft sentence is a construction that makes possible to put special emphasis on a particular...

Cleft Sentences Profª. Flavia Maria

CLEFT SENTENCES

CLEFT SENTENCE is a construction that makes possible to put special emphasis on a particular sentence function. This special structure is called CLEFT SENTENCE because to form such a sentence we cleave the sentence into two parts in a way that emphasized part takes place in the first section. Consequently, structural pattern of a cleft sentence remains as:

CLEFT SENTENCES It + be + emphasized sentence function

FIRST PART

+ (who / that )…………  

SECOND PART 

CLEFT SENTENCES

Consider the following sentence:

  Peter wrote Mary a love letter in Paris

Subj V Oi Od A1

last week. A2

CLEFT SENTENCES

Emphasizing the Subject Function: Sentence: Peter wrote Mary a love letter

in Paris last week.

Pattern: It + be + emphasized sentence function + (who / that )…………

CLEFT SENTENCES

Cleft Sentence: (considering the tense)

It was Peter who wrote a love letter toMary in Paris last week.

(It was Peter who wrote Mary a love letter in Paris last week - also

acceptable)

CLEFT SENTENCES

Emphasizing the Direct Object Function:

It was a love letter that Peter wrote (to) Mary in Paris last week

CLEFT SENTENCES

Emphasizing the Indirect Object Function:

 It was Mary Peter wrote a love letter to

in Paris last week.

CLEFT SENTENCES

Emphasizing the Adverbial (1) Function:

It was in Paris that Peter wrote Mary a love letter last week.

CLEFT SENTENCES

Emphasizing the Adverbial (2) Function:

It was last week that Peter wrote Mary a love letter in Paris.