What is cleft sentence!
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Cleft sentences are complex sentences that are used to emphasize one particular part of a sentence. They are often used in written English because we cannot use intonation as a means for emphasizing. Here are some examples. Merry hid the diary under the pillow. - cleft sentences - The person who hid the diary under the pillow was Merry./ It was Merry who hid the diary under the pillow. - The thing Merry hid under the pillow was the diary./ It was the diary that Merry hid under the pillow./ What Merry hid under the pillow was the diary./ All Merry hid under the pillow was the diary. - The place where Merry hid the diary was under the pillow./ It was under the pillow that Merry hid the diary. - What Merry did was (to) hide the diary under the pillow. - What happened was that Merry hid the diary under the pillow.
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. Clefts typically put a particular constituent into focus. In spoken language, this focusing is often accompanied by a special intonation.
Other student questions
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Hi My first advice is watching TV series and listening podcasts. In addition buying favourite books in English Best regards
- Which phrases do you find useful when making small talk in English?
Describe a specific situation where you will need to make small talk.
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I like to check in with my students about how they’ve been since our last class. This not only gives us a chance to practice small talk but also allows me to tailor the session to their individual experiences. E.g. Before we jump into today’s lesson, how was your weekend?
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It depends on the level but I always recommend FRIENDS sitcom to improve their speaking and listening
