جمل الفصل (It-Clefts): إضافة تأكيد قوي
emphasis بتخلي كلامك أقوى، precision بتوضح قصدك، و impact بتخلي رسالتك توصل صح!
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
It-clefts split a sentence in two to highlight one specific piece of information, making it the 'star' of the sentence.
- Start with 'It' + 'be' (It is/was) to introduce the focus. Example: 'It was Sarah who won.'
- Follow the focus with a relative clause starting with 'that' or 'who'. Example: 'It was the dog that barked.'
- Ensure the verb 'be' matches the tense of the original action. Example: 'It is today that we leave.'
نظرة عامة
It-clefts (الجمل المشقوقة) أداة بلاغية بالغة القوة في اللغة الإنجليزية، وهي تهدف بشكل أساسي إلى إبراز معلومات معينة والتركيز عليها (Foregrounding). في اللغة العربية، نحن نعتمد بشكل كبير على «التوكيد» (Emphasis) عبر أدوات متنوعة مثل «إنّ»، أو «لقد»، أو عبر تقديم وتأخير أجزاء الجملة (الأسلوب الخبري والإنشائي)، أو حتى عبر التنغيم الصوتي (Intonation) في الكلام الشفهي. أما في الإنجليزية، فالنظام الصارم لترتيب الجملة (SVO: فاعل-فعل-مفعول) يجعل التغيير في الترتيب محدوداً، لذا يلجأ المتحدثون إلى هيكلة الجملة نفسها باستخدام It-clefts لفصل المعلومة المراد التأكيد عليها عن بقية الجملة.I was late because of the traffic (جملة عادية)، يمكنك قول It was the traffic that made me late. هنا، أنت لا تخبرهم بالسبب فقط، بل أنت «تشق» الجملة لتضع «الازدحام المروري» في بؤرة التركيز. هذا الأسلوب يعادل في العربية أسلوب الحصر أو التخصيص، مثل قولنا: «ما أخرني إلا الزحام».It-cleft على تقسيم الجملة إلى شقين: الشق الأول يحتوي على التركيز (Focus)، والشق الثاني يحتوي على المعلومة المعروفة أو المفترضة (Presupposition). في العربية، لدينا ما يسمى بـ «أسلوب الحصر» أو «التوكيد»، ولكن في الإنجليزية، يتم بناء هذا التركيب عبر صيغة ثابتة: It + be + emphasized element + relative clause.It هنا لا يعود على شيء محدد، بل هو «ضمير فارغ» (Expletive pronoun) يعمل كحامل هيكلي للجملة. الفعل be يجب أن يتبع زمن الجملة الأصلية، ثم يأتي العنصر المراد التأكيد عليه (سواء كان فاعلاً، مفعولاً به، أو ظرف زمان/مكان)، وأخيراً جملة صلة الموصول التي تحتوي على باقي المعلومات. على سبيل المثال، في العربية نقول: «أحمد هو الذي كسر النافذة»، حيث نستخدم «هو» للربط.It was Ahmed who broke the window. لاحظ أننا لا نقول He broke the window إذا أردنا التوكيد الحصري، بل نستخدم الهيكل المشقوق. الفرق الجوهري هنا هو أن الإنجليزية تفرض عليك استخدام It و be كإطار ثابت، بينما العربية مرنة في استخدام الضمائر المنفصلة أو أدوات الحصر مثل «إنما».It | الضمير الاستهلالي | It |be | فعل الكينونة (يتبع زمن الجملة) | was |Emphasized Element | العنصر المراد التركيز عليه | the manager |Relative Pronoun | ضمير الوصل (who, that, which) | who |Remainder | باقي الجملة | signed the contract |- 1
It is the quality of the coffee that makes this café special.(التأكيد على الجودة) - 2
It was in Riyadh where we first met.(التأكيد على المكان) - 3
It is because of your support that I succeeded.(التأكيد على السبب)
- 1تصحيح المفاهيم الخاطئة: إذا ظن أحدهم أنك أنت من أخطأت، تقول:
It was my colleague who made the mistake, not me.هنا أنت تستخدمIt-cleftلتصحيح المعلومة بقوة. - 2إضافة الدراما أو الأهمية: في الخطابات الرسمية أو النقاشات الجادة (مثل نقاشات العمل في المقهى أو المكتب)، يعطي هذا الأسلوب وزناً أكبر للكلمات.
It is our commitment to excellence that defines usتبدو أكثر قوة منWe are committed to excellence. - 3تحديد الزمان والمكان: عندما يكون ظرف الزمان أو المكان هو المعلومة «الجديدة» التي لا يعرفها المستمع، نستخدم هذا الأسلوب.
It was last Friday that the deal was closed.
- 1حذف فعل الكينونة (L1 Interference): المبتدئون من العرب يميلون لقول
It my brother who cameبدلاً منIt was my brother who came. السبب هو أننا في العربية لا نستخدم فعل كينونة في الجملة الاسمية (أخي جاء)، فينسى المتعلم أن الإنجليزية لا تقبل الجملة بدون فعل. - 2تغيير الضمير
It: يخطئ البعض بقولThey were my friends who helped meبدلاً منIt was my friends who helped me. هذا خطأ شائع ناتج عن محاولة مطابقة الضمير مع الفاعل (الجمع)، بينما فيIt-cleftيظل الضمير دائماًItمهما كان العنصر المؤكد. - 3استخدام
thatفي كل الحالات: رغم أنthatمرنة، إلا أن استخدامwhoللأشخاص يعطي طابعاً أكثر دقة. عدم التمييز بينwho(للأشخاص) وwhich(للأشياء) في جملة الصلة يضعف من جودة لغتك.
It-cleft | التركيز على معلومة محددة | It was Ali who called. |Wh-cleft | التركيز على فعل أو حدث | What he did was call. |Passive Voice | التركيز على المفعول به (إخفاء الفاعل) | The window was broken. |It-cleft على هوية الفاعل أو المفعول، يركز Wh-cleft (المعروف بـ Pseudo-cleft) على الفعل نفسه. في العربية، نحن نستخدم «ما فعله هو...» للترجمة المقاربة للـ Wh-cleft.- 1هل يمكنني استخدام
It-cleftفي المحادثات غير الرسمية؟ نعم، لكن لا تبالغ. استخدامها المفرط يجعل أسلوبك يبدو متكلفاً جداً. استخدمها فقط عندما تريد التأكيد فعلاً. - 2هل
Itفي هذا التركيب تشير دائماً إلى شيء؟ لا، هي مجرد أداة هيكلية (Dummy subject) ولا تحمل معنى إشارياً. - 3ما الفرق بين
It was John that I sawوIt was John whom I saw؟whomأكثر رسمية وتستخدم في الكتابة الأكاديمية أو المهنية، بينماthatمقبولة في كل السياقات.
Tense Variations of It-Clefts
| Tense | It + Be | Focus | Relative Clause |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Present Simple
|
It is
|
the money
|
that matters.
|
|
Past Simple
|
It was
|
the money
|
that mattered.
|
|
Present Perfect
|
It has been
|
the money
|
that has caused the trouble.
|
|
Future Simple
|
It will be
|
the money
|
that decides the winner.
|
|
Modal (Possibility)
|
It might be
|
the money
|
that he wants.
|
|
Negative Past
|
It wasn't
|
the money
|
that I lost.
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Contraction | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
|
It is
|
It's
|
Very common in speech and informal writing.
|
|
It was
|
It'was (Non-standard)
|
Rarely contracted in standard English.
|
|
It is not
|
It isn't / It's not
|
Both are common; 'It's not' is slightly more frequent.
|
|
It was not
|
It wasn't
|
Standard contraction for past negative.
|
Meanings
A grammatical construction used to focus on a specific constituent (subject, object, or adverbial) by placing it after 'It + be'. It effectively 'cleaves' (splits) a simple sentence into two parts to create contrast or emphasis.
Subject Focus
Emphasizing the person or thing performing the action.
“It was the rain that ruined our picnic.”
“It is my sister who usually handles the finances.”
Object Focus
Emphasizing the person or thing receiving the action.
“It was the red car that he bought, not the blue one.”
“It is her honesty that I admire most.”
Adverbial Focus (Time/Place)
Emphasizing when, where, or how something happened.
“It was in Paris that they first met.”
“It is only now that I realize my mistake.”
Reference Table
| الجملة الأصلية | العنصر المُركّز عليه | صيغة جملة الفصل (It-Cleft) | التأثير |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I bought the book yesterday.
|
The book
|
It was *the book* that I bought yesterday.
|
تُبرز ماذا تم شراؤه.
|
|
Sarah helped me with my project.
|
Sarah
|
It was *Sarah* who helped me with my project.
|
تُبرز من ساعد.
|
|
They finished the task quickly.
|
Quickly
|
It was *quickly* that they finished the task.
|
تُبرز كيفية القيام به (ظرفية).
|
|
We met at the coffee shop.
|
At the coffee shop
|
It was *at the coffee shop* that we met.
|
تُبرز مكان اللقاء.
|
|
He resigned because of stress.
|
Because of stress
|
It was *because of stress* that he resigned.
|
تُبرز السبب (جملة فرعية).
|
|
You ordered the wrong item.
|
The wrong item
|
It was *the wrong item* that you ordered.
|
تصحح سوء فهم حول المفعول به.
|
طيف الرسمية
It was John who shattered the window. (Reporting an incident)
It was John that broke the window. (Reporting an incident)
It was John who did it. (Reporting an incident)
It was John who messed up the window. (Reporting an incident)
جمل الفصل (It-Clefts): تعزيز التركيز!
التركيب
- It + be تبدأ جملة الفصل
- Emphasized Element نقطة التركيز
- that/who/which تربط الجمل
- Rest of sentence المعلومات الخلفية
متى تستخدمها
- Correction تصحيح سوء الفهم
- New Info تقديم حقائق مفاجئة
- Drama/Emotion إضافة شدة
- Clarification شرح الأسباب
العناصر المُركّز عليها
- Subject من/ما يقوم بالفعل
- Object من/ما يتلقى الفعل
- Adverbial الزمان، المكان، الكيفية، السبب
- Clause فكرة كاملة
جمل الفصل مقابل التركيز البسيط
بناء جملة فصل (It-Cleft)
أي جزء من جملتك تريد إبرازه؟
ما هو زمن فعلك الرئيسي؟
هل العنصر المُركّز عليه شخص؟
ضع العنصر المُبرز بعد 'It is/was' وقبل ضمير الوصل.
جمل الفصل في السياقات الحديثة
الحياة الرقمية
- • تعليقات إنستغرام
- • محادثات الألعاب الصوتية
- • مراسلة الأصدقاء
المهنية
- • مقابلات زوم
- • مشاريع جامعية
- • رسائل بريد إلكتروني رسمية
الحياة اليومية
- • محادثات المقهى
- • ترجمات نتفليكس
- • طلب الطعام
أمثلة حسب المستوى
It is my book.
It is my book.
It is me!
It is me!
It is cold today.
It is cold today.
It is a big dog.
It is a big dog.
It was my mom who called.
It was my mom who called.
It is the blue pen I want.
It is the blue pen I want.
It was 10 PM when they left.
It was 10 PM when they left.
It is not my fault.
It is not my fault.
It was the movie that made her cry.
It was the movie that made her cry.
It is in London that the story happens.
It is in London that the story happens.
It was because of the rain that we stayed home.
It was because of the rain that we stayed home.
It is her smile that I like most.
It is her smile that I like most.
It was only last week that I found out.
It was only last week that I found out.
It is the government that should take action.
It is the government that should take action.
It was with great difficulty that he finished the race.
It was with great difficulty that he finished the race.
It is not what he said, but how he said it.
It is not what he said, but how he said it.
It was through sheer persistence that she succeeded.
It was through sheer persistence that she succeeded.
It is not until we lose someone that we appreciate them.
It is not until we lose someone that we appreciate them.
It was the lack of transparency that the public resented.
It was the lack of transparency that the public resented.
It is I who am responsible for this oversight.
It is I who am responsible for this oversight.
It was but a moment ago that the world seemed simple.
It was but a moment ago that the world seemed simple.
It is precisely this ambiguity that the poet exploits.
It is precisely this ambiguity that the poet exploits.
It might well have been the stress that triggered the illness.
It might well have been the stress that triggered the illness.
It is seldom that one encounters such genuine talent.
It is seldom that one encounters such genuine talent.
سهل الخلط
Both add emphasis, but Wh-clefts start with 'What' and focus on the whole clause.
Learners sometimes use 'There' as a dummy subject when they should use 'It'.
Both can shift focus to the object.
أخطاء شائعة
Is John who called.
It is John who called.
It was the cats that was hungry.
It was the cats that were hungry.
It was the book which I liked.
It was the book that I liked.
It is I who is the winner.
It is I who am the winner.
أنماط الجُمل
It was ___ who ___.
It is ___ that ___.
It was not until ___ that ___.
It is with ___ that I ___.
Real World Usage
It was my time at Google that really shaped my approach to coding.
It's not you, it's me.
It is this discrepancy in the data that warrants further investigation.
Actually, it was the diet coke that I ordered, not the regular.
It's the little things that count. ✨
It was the defendant whom I saw entering the building.
It is our priority to ensure your data remains safe.
It's the next turning on the right that you need.
حدد نقطة التركيز
لا تبالغ في الاستخدام!
نوّع أدوات الربط
قوة المحادثة
صحح سوء الفهم
Smart Tips
Use a negative it-cleft followed by a positive one.
Use an it-cleft to define the specific problem you are solving.
Remember that 'It' stays singular even if the focus is plural.
Keep the preposition with the focus, not at the end of the sentence.
النطق
Focus Stress
In an it-cleft, the word immediately following 'is' or 'was' receives the strongest pitch accent.
Falling Intonation on Focus
It was the CAKE ↘ that I wanted.
Conveys finality and correction of a previous statement.
احفظها
وسيلة تذكّر
Remember 'IT IS THE FOCUS': It + Is + The Focus + that...
ربط بصري
Imagine a theater stage. The whole stage is the sentence. The 'It is' is the spotlight operator, and the 'Focus' is the actor standing in the bright light while the rest of the sentence stays in the shadows.
Rhyme
If you want to make a point and make it hit, start your sentence with the word 'It'!
Story
John was accused of stealing a cookie. He didn't say 'I didn't do it.' He pointed at the dog and said, 'It was the DOG that ate the cookie!' The emphasis saved him from trouble.
Word Web
تحدٍّ
Look at the last three sentences you wrote. Rewrite one of them as an it-cleft to change the emphasis.
ملاحظات ثقافية
It-clefts are frequently used in British political debates to sound more assertive and precise.
Clefting is extremely common in Ireland, often used even when no strong emphasis is intended, influenced by the Irish language structure.
In scientific papers, it-clefts are used to highlight specific findings or variables without using 'I' or 'We'.
The cleft construction has roots in Old English but became much more prominent in Middle English as the language moved away from case endings toward fixed word order.
بدايات محادثة
Was it your parents who chose your name?
Is it the salary or the work-life balance that matters more to you?
Was it a specific book that changed your way of thinking?
Is it the culture or the food that you enjoy most when traveling?
مواضيع للكتابة اليومية
أخطاء شائعة
Test Yourself
It was my friend ___ told me the news.
Find and fix the mistake:
It were the unexpected results that surprised everyone.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Choose the correct sentence:
Score: /4
تمارين تطبيقية
8 exercisesIt ___ my brother ___ told me the news.
Select the correct option:
Find and fix the mistake:
Correct the verb agreement.
Rewrite the sentence.
You can use 'which' as a relative pronoun in an it-cleft.
A: Did Mary buy the cake? B: No, ___.
What is being emphasized?
1. I love her voice. 2. He lost his keys. 3. They met at the park.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
11 exercisesIt ___ her determination that made all the difference.
It is the strict deadline miss that often.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Foi o seu comprometimento que garantiu o sucesso do projeto.'
Arrange these words into a sentence: 'the meeting / that / was cancelled / it was / the sudden illness / because of'
Match the beginnings and emphasized elements to form correct 'it'-clefts:
It was *at the cafe* ___ we first met.
It is him who is responsible for the error.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Não foi o tamanho da equipe, mas a qualidade da pesquisa que impressionou o comitê.'
Arrange these words into a sentence: 'making you sad? / it's / what / that's / is'
Score: /11
الأسئلة الشائعة (8)
Yes, in spoken English and informal writing, `It's` is very common. However, in formal academic writing, you should use the full `It is` or `It was`.
In formal English, `It is I` is technically correct. In modern, everyday English, almost everyone says `It is me`. If you use `I`, the following verb must be `am` (`It is I who am...`), which sounds very old-fashioned.
Absolutely! You can say, `It will be the voters who decide the outcome.` The verb `be` can be conjugated into any tense.
Normal sentences are fine, but they don't provide focus. `John called` is a fact. `It was John who called` implies 'It wasn't Peter or Sarah; it was specifically John.'
Yes, in very formal writing when the focus is an object. `It was he whom the committee chose.` However, `that` is much more common.
Yes. `It was because I was tired that I made the mistake.` This is a great way to emphasize a reason.
Yes, in this specific structure, `It` is a 'dummy subject' or 'expletive it'. It doesn't refer to anything; it just holds the spot for the verb.
In informal speech, yes, if it's the object. `It was the red one (that) I wanted.` But it's better to keep it for clarity.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Es... que / Fue... quien
English requires the dummy subject 'It'.
C'est... qui/que
French uses 'C'est' for almost all emphasis, whereas English has more variety.
Es ist... der/die/das
Word order in the relative clause follows German rules (verb-final).
〜のは〜だ (no wa... da)
Japanese doesn't use a dummy subject like 'It'.
إنما (Innama) / هو الذي (Huwa alladhi)
Arabic relies on particles and word order rather than a dummy subject construction.
是...的 (shì... de)
The 'de' comes at the end of the sentence in Chinese, unlike the 'that' clause in English.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Continue With
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