Emphasis - Focussing with cleft sentences

We sometimes use constructions called cleft sentences when we want to focus on a particular part of the sentence. These are used both in written and spoken English.

There are two main types of cleft sentence, it- clefts and what- clefts (and a variation of what-clefts, all-clefts). What- clefts and variations on them are often referred to as pseudo clefts.

Read all about clefts and try some exercises.

Read all about it

A look at the various uses of the pronoun it,
introductory (preparatory) it and there,
and it-clefts.

Exploring nominal relative clauses, interrogative wh-clauses and the like

One of the more esoteric areas of grammar

The term nominal relative clause is not used very much in TEFL materials, even at advanced level. Nominal relatives and interrogative wh-clauses are usually simply treated together as wh-clauses.

But as one of my favourite student grammar books, Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency, by Side and Wellman (Longman), has one section on Nominal relative clauses, and another on (interrogative) wh-clauses, I thought it might be interesting to compare them.

I'd also noticed that a couple of learners had written to English language forums asking about the difference, so the question had obviously come up, at least for some people.

Explore nominal wh-clauses with lots of exercises and a bit of discussion

Emphatic do, does, did and other auxiliaries.

A quick look at how we stress auxiliaries to add emphasis.
Now with exercises.