Mettre l'accent avec "It" (Phrases clivées en "It")
It is/was... that/who) sont ton arme secrète pour mettre l'accent sur des informations spécifiques !
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'It-Clefts' to shine a spotlight on one specific part of your sentence for maximum emphasis.
- Start with 'It' followed by the verb 'be' in the correct tense: 'It was...'
- Place the information you want to emphasize immediately after 'be': 'It was the manager...'
- Connect the rest of the sentence using 'that' or 'who': '...who called me.'
Overview
Peter a acheté la pizza. Mais vous savez que c'était en fait Sarah ! Vous criez : "Non, c'est Sarah qui a acheté la pizza !" C'est ce qu'on appelle une it-cleft. C'est comme un projecteur sur une scène.J'adore cette chanson quand on peut dire C'est cette chanson que j'adore ? Cela ajoute un peu de drame et de style. Et surtout, cela garantit que personne ne manque votre message.Word Order Rules
- Commencez par le mot
It. - Ajoutez le verbe
to be(isouwas). - Placez l'Élément Mis en Relief juste après.
- Ajoutez le mot
thatouwho. - Terminez par le reste de la phrase.
How This Grammar Works
vedette. La partie 2 donne les détails. Dans un cadre académique, c'est idéal pour définir les causes. Exemple : C'est la recherche qui a prouvé la théorie. Cela dit au lecteur : Regardez la recherche !
Formation Pattern
Pattern Variations
It is me. | C'est moi.It was them. | C'étaient eux.
Real Conversations
Sam
Client
Common Mistakes
This. Dites It is.... N'oubliez pas is/was. N'utilisez pas who pour les voitures !Quick FAQ
C'était à 17h... Q : Est-ce formel ? R : Non, on l'utilise aussi dans les conversations amicales.Structure of an It-Cleft
| Dummy Subject | Verb 'Be' (Tense) | Focused Element | Relative Pronoun | Rest of Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
It
|
is
|
the price
|
that
|
matters.
|
|
It
|
was
|
my sister
|
who
|
won.
|
|
It
|
isn't
|
the money
|
that
|
I want.
|
|
It
|
wasn't
|
in May
|
that
|
we met.
|
|
It
|
will be
|
the voters
|
who
|
decide.
|
|
It
|
has been
|
his health
|
that
|
suffered.
|
Contractions in Clefts
| Full Form | Contracted Form | Usage |
|---|---|---|
|
It is...
|
It's...
|
Very common in speech
|
|
It was...
|
n/a
|
Rarely contracted
|
|
It is not...
|
It isn't... / It's not...
|
Common for denial
|
|
It was not...
|
It wasn't...
|
Common for denial
|
Meanings
A cleft sentence is a complex sentence in which a simple sentence is divided into two clauses to give focus to one part of the information.
Subject Focus
Emphasizing the person or thing performing the action.
“It was Sarah who won the race.”
“It is the sun that provides energy.”
Object Focus
Emphasizing the person or thing receiving the action.
“It was the blue car that he bought.”
“It is the truth that I am seeking.”
Adverbial Focus
Emphasizing when, where, or how something happened.
“It was in 1969 that man first walked on the moon.”
“It is only through hard work that we succeed.”
Reference Table
| Type d'emphase | Structure | Exemple | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sujet (Personne)
|
It is/was + Noun/Pronoun + who/that + Verb Phrase
|
It was Sarah who aced the exam.
|
Met en lumière l'individu.
|
|
Sujet (Chose)
|
It is/was + Noun + that/which + Verb Phrase
|
It was the strong wind that blew down the fence.
|
Met en lumière la cause/l'agent.
|
|
Objet
|
It is/was + Noun/Pronoun + that/which + Subject + Verb
|
It was the coffee that I spilled, not the tea.
|
Clarifie ce qui a été affecté.
|
|
Temps
|
It is/was + Adverb of Time + that/when + Clause
|
It was yesterday that I found my keys.
|
Indique le moment précis.
|
|
Lieu
|
It is/was + Adverb of Place + that/where + Clause
|
It was in the kitchen that we left the groceries.
|
Spécifie l'emplacement.
|
|
Correction
|
It is/was + Correct Info + that/who + Incorrectly Attributed Clause
|
It wasn't me who broke the vase; it was the cat.
|
Rétablit la vérité.
|
|
Sentiment fort
|
It is/was + Noun + that + Clause
|
It's your positivity that brightens my day!
|
Transmet un impact émotionnel.
|
Spectre de formalité
It was Mr. Smith who initiated the telephone correspondence. (reporting a call)
It was John who called. (reporting a call)
It was John who rang. (reporting a call)
It was John who hit me up. (reporting a call)
Exemples par niveau
It is my mom who cooks dinner.
Es mi mamá quien cocina la cena.
It is the red pen that I want.
Es el bolígrafo rojo el que quiero.
It was a cat that I saw.
Fue un gato lo que vi.
It is London that is the capital.
Es Londres la que es la capital.
It was my brother who took the keys.
Fue mi hermano quien tomó las llaves.
It wasn't me who broke the vase.
No fui yo quien rompió el jarrón.
It is this book that I need for class.
Es este libro el que necesito para clase.
Was it you who called me?
¿Fuiste tú quien me llamó?
It was in 2010 that we moved to Spain.
Fue en 2010 cuando nos mudamos a España.
It is the lack of time that worries me.
Es la falta de tiempo lo que me preocupa.
It was because of the rain that we stayed home.
Fue por la lluvia que nos quedamos en casa.
It is her talent that makes her famous.
Es su talento lo que la hace famosa.
It was the CEO himself who addressed the staff.
Fue el propio CEO quien se dirigió al personal.
It is not what he said, but how he said it.
No es lo que dijo, sino cómo lo dijo.
It was only after the meeting that I realized the error.
Fue solo después de la reunión que me di cuenta del error.
It is the environment that we must protect for future generations.
Es el medio ambiente lo que debemos proteger para las generaciones futuras.
It is with great regret that we announce the closure.
Es con gran pesar que anunciamos el cierre.
It was through sheer persistence that she achieved her goals.
Fue a través de pura persistencia que logró sus metas.
It is the underlying assumptions that need to be challenged.
Son los supuestos subyacentes los que deben ser cuestionados.
It was not until much later that the truth emerged.
No fue hasta mucho más tarde que surgió la verdad.
It is the very fabric of our society that is at stake.
Es el tejido mismo de nuestra sociedad lo que está en juego.
It was by no means certain that the plan would succeed.
No era en absoluto seguro que el plan tuviera éxito.
It is her uncanny ability to predict trends that sets her apart.
Es su extraña habilidad para predecir tendencias lo que la distingue.
It was against this backdrop of economic instability that the revolution began.
Fue contra este telón de fondo de inestabilidad económica que comenzó la revolución.
Facile à confondre
Learners mix up 'It was...' and 'What I want is...'.
Learners think 'It is raining' is a cleft sentence.
Learners forget that clefts are just a special type of relative clause.
Erreurs courantes
Is my mom who cooks.
It is my mom who cooks.
It is my mom cooks.
It is my mom who cooks.
It my mom who cooks.
It is my mom who cooks.
It are my parents who cook.
It is my parents who cook.
It was the dog which barked.
It was the dog that barked.
It is yesterday that I saw him.
It was yesterday that I saw him.
It was me who did it.
It was I who did it. (Formal) / It was me who did it. (Informal)
It was in London where I met her.
It was in London that I met her.
It was because the rain we stayed.
It was because of the rain that we stayed.
It was my friends who they helped me.
It was my friends who helped me.
It is the results which are surprising.
It is the results that are surprising.
It was him that I gave the book.
It was him that I gave the book to.
It is only then when we understand.
It is only then that we understand.
Structures de phrases
It was ___ who ___.
It is ___ that ___.
It was only when ___ that ___.
It is not ___ but ___ that ___.
Real World Usage
It was my previous role that prepared me for this challenge.
It's the traffic that's making me late!
It is this specific chemical reaction that causes the change.
It's the fans who make this all worth it.
It was the defendant who was seen at the scene.
It is our policy that prevents us from giving a refund.
Écoute l'accent
It is the beginning that matters.
N'abuse pas des 'It-Clefts'
Maîtrise 'That' pour la flexibilité
It was the girl that I saw.
Le contexte, c'est la clé de la formalité
It was I who spoke, but it was me who answered.
Utilise-les pour corriger
Smart Tips
Use a negative it-cleft followed by a positive one.
Use an it-cleft to define your main thesis or cause.
Try removing 'It is' and 'that' to find the simple core of the sentence.
Use 'who' to sound more natural and 'that' to sound slightly more formal.
Prononciation
Stress on the Focus
The word immediately following 'is' or 'was' receives the strongest stress in the sentence.
Reduction of 'that'
The word 'that' is usually reduced to a schwa sound /ðət/.
Rising-Falling on Focus
It was the ↗DOG↘ that barked.
Conveys certainty and emphasis on the subject.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Remember 'IT IS THE...' — It (Subject), Is (Verb), The (Focus).
Association visuelle
Imagine a theater stage. The whole stage is dark except for one bright spotlight hitting a single actor. That actor is the 'Focus' of your It-cleft.
Rhyme
If you want to make it clear, put 'It was' right in their ear!
Story
A detective is at a crime scene. Everyone is guessing who did it. He points his finger and says, 'It was the butler who stole the diamond!' The 'It-cleft' is his way of being 100% certain and dramatic.
Word Web
Défi
Look around your room. Pick three objects and describe them using an It-cleft (e.g., 'It is my laptop that is on the desk').
Notes culturelles
It-clefts are very common in British political debates to precisely attribute policies or failures to specific parties.
In scientific writing, it-clefts are used to avoid 'I' while still emphasizing the cause of a result.
Hiberno-English often uses cleft-like structures more frequently than other dialects for added flavor.
Cleft sentences have existed in English since the Old English period, but became much more frequent in Middle English.
Amorces de conversation
Was it your parents who chose your name?
Is it the weather that affects your mood the most?
Was it a specific book that changed your life?
Is it the government or the individuals who should be responsible for the environment?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
It was my laptop ___ crashed during the presentation.
Find and fix the mistake:
It are the small details that make a big difference.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Score: /3
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesJohn broke the window.
It ___ in 1945 that the war ended.
It was the rain ___ caused the flood.
Find and fix the mistake:
It is my parents who they helped me.
1. I love you. 2. I met her in Paris. 3. He needs a rest.
was / it / that / her / me / kindness / touched
In an it-cleft, you can use 'It are' if the focus is plural (e.g., 'It are my friends').
A: Did Sarah win the prize? B: No, ___.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesIt ___ his dedication that led to his promotion.
It was the new manager who they hired her.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Foi o silêncio que me assustou.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the emphasized elements with the correct relative pronoun in an it-cleft.
It is the small gestures ___ truly matter in a relationship.
It was because of her talent that she got the scholarship.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'É a paciência que os caracteriza.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the original sentence with its correctly emphasized it-cleft version.
Score: /12
FAQ (8)
Technically yes, but it sounds very formal or slightly dated. In modern English, `that` or `who` is much more common in clefts.
In formal writing, `It is I` is grammatically 'correct', but in 99% of real-life situations, everyone says `It is me`.
In informal speech, yes: 'It was John called me.' But in writing, you should always include `that` or `who`.
Because the word 'cleft' means 'split'. You are splitting one simple sentence into two parts.
Yes! You can say, 'It will be the manager who makes the final decision.'
They are very similar. 'It-clefts' are slightly more emphatic and common in writing.
No, it-clefts usually focus on a noun or a prepositional phrase. For whole clauses, use a `Wh-cleft` (e.g., 'What happened was...').
Yes, it is equally common in all major dialects of English.
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 'qui' for subjects and 'que' for objects; English often uses 'that' for both.
Es ist... der/die/das
German relative pronouns change based on gender (der/die/das).
...no wa ...da
Japanese puts the focus at the end of the sentence.
Innama / Word order
Arabic doesn't use a dummy 'It' structure.
Shi... de (是...的)
The 'de' comes at the very end of the sentence in Chinese.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
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