इट-क्लैफ्स: मजबूत ज़ोर देना
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.'
Overview
It-Cleft स्ट्रक्चर।Cleft का अर्थ होता है 'विभाजित' (divided)। एक It-cleft वाक्य एक साधारण वाक्य को दो हिस्सों में तोड़ देता है ताकि किसी खास जानकारी को 'Foreground' या मुख्य आकर्षण बनाया जा सके। हिंदी में हम यह काम बहुत आसानी से 'ही' शब्द का इस्तेमाल करके या शब्द क्रम (Word order) बदलकर कर लेते हैं। उदाहरण के लिए, 'राम ने शीशा तोड़ा' एक साधारण वाक्य है, लेकिन अगर हमें राम पर ज़ोर देना हो, तो हम कहते हैं, 'राम ने ही शीशा तोड़ा' या 'वो राम ही था जिसने शीशा तोड़ा'।It-clefts जैसे विशेष ढांचों का उपयोग करते हैं। यह न केवल बोलने में प्रभावशाली लगता है, बल्कि लिखने में—खासकर प्रोफेशनल ईमेल्स, प्रेजेंटेशन और अकादमिक लेखों में—एक अलग ही 'Edge' देता है। इस गाइड में, हम इस एडवांस स्ट्रक्चर की बारीकियों को समझेंगे और देखेंगे कि एक हिंदी भाषी होने के नाते आप इसमें कहाँ गलती कर सकते हैं।It-cleft का मूल मंत्र है: 'पुरानी जानकारी' और 'नई/महत्वपूर्ण जानकारी' को अलग करना।It-cleft वाक्य बनाते हैं, तो हम It (जिसे 'Expletive' या 'Dummy Subject' कहा जाता है) से शुरुआत करते हैं। यहाँ It का अपना कोई अर्थ नहीं होता, यह बस वाक्य को सहारा देने के लिए आता है। इसके बाद be क्रिया का एक रूप (is, was, etc.) आता है, फिर वह हिस्सा जिस पर हमें ज़ोर देना है, और अंत में एक Relative Clause जो बाकी की जानकारी देता है।Rahul called me. | राहुल ने ही मुझे फोन किया था। | It was Rahul who called me. |I need a vacation. | मुझे एक छुट्टी की ही ज़रूरत है। | It is a vacation that I need. |We met in Delhi. | हम दिल्ली में ही मिले थे। | It was in Delhi that we met. |- 1
It: यह हमेशा स्थिर रहता है। चाहे आप एक व्यक्ति की बात करें या दस की, शुरुआतItसे ही होगी। - 2
beverb: यह मूल वाक्य के काल (Tense) के अनुसार बदलता है। - 3The Focus (Emphasized Element): वह शब्द या वाक्यांश जिस पर आप स्पॉटलाइट डालना चाहते हैं। यह Subject, Object, या Adverbial phrase हो सकता है।
- 4Relative Pronoun: आमतौर पर
thatयाwhoका प्रयोग होता है।
It-cleft बनाने का एक निश्चित फॉर्मूला है। इसे स्टेप-बाय-स्टेप समझते हैं:It + be (conjugated) + [Focus Element] + [that/who/which clause]The CEO signed the contract yesterday.It was the CEO who signed the contract yesterday.- (वो CEO ही थे जिन्होंने कल कॉन्ट्रैक्ट साइन किया।)
It was the contract that the CEO signed yesterday.- (वो कॉन्ट्रैक्ट ही था जिसे CEO ने कल साइन किया।)
It was yesterday that the CEO signed the contract.- (वो कल का दिन ही था जब CEO ने कॉन्ट्रैक्ट साइन किया।)
It-cleft में be क्रिया हमेशा मूल वाक्य के टेंस को फॉलो करती है।- Present Simple:
It is...(It is my health that worries me.) - Past Simple:
It was...(It was the rain that ruined the match.) - Present Perfect:
It has been...(It has been Sarah who has done all the work.) - Future:
It will be...(It will be you who will lead the team.)
Who: लोगों के लिए (अक्सर Subject के रूप में)।That: चीज़ों, लोगों और समय के लिए सबसे सुरक्षित और कॉमन विकल्प।When/Where: समय और स्थान के लिए (हालांकिthatयहाँ भी चल जाता है और अक्सर ज़्यादा नेचुरल लगता है)।
No, it was Sunita who gave the presentation.
After searching for hours, it was under the sofa where I finally found my keys.
- "It's because of your hard work that we won this project."
- "It wasn't the money that I wanted; it was the respect."
It-clefts में कुछ खास गलतियाँ करते हैं। इन पर गौर करना बहुत ज़रूरी है:They were my friends who helped me.- सही:
It was my friends who helped me. - नियम:
It-cleftमेंItहमेशा सिंगुलर रहता है, चाहे उसके बाद आने वाले लोग कितने ही क्यों न हों।
It was that boy met me.- सही:
It was that boy who/that met me. - नियम:
It-cleftमेंthatयाwhoको हटाना व्याकरण की दृष्टि से गलत माना जाता है (खासकर फॉर्मल राइटिंग में)।
is लगा देते हैं।- गलत:
It is last night that I saw him. - सही:
It was last night that I saw him. - नियम: अगर घटना पास्ट की है, तो
beक्रिया भी पास्ट (was) में होगी।
It-cleft के अलावा एक और स्ट्रक्चर होता है जिसे Wh-cleft (या Pseudo-cleft) कहते हैं। इन दोनों में सूक्ष्म अंतर है जिसे समझना एक एक्सपर्ट के लिए ज़रूरी है।It + be + Focus + Clause | Wh-word + Clause + be + Focus |It was a new car that he bought. | What he bought was a new car. |It's you I love.(ज़ोर 'तुम' पर है - Romantic/Emphatic)What I love is you.(ज़ोर इस बात पर है कि 'मुझे क्या पसंद है' - Descriptive)
It-cleft में whom का प्रयोग कर सकता हूँ?whom का प्रयोग सही है।- उदाहरण:
It was the director whom they decided to fire.
that या who ज़्यादा नेचुरल लगते हैं।It is me who... सही है या It is I who...?- फॉर्मल (Grammatically strict):
It is I who am responsible.(यहाँamइसलिए आया क्योंकिIके साथamलगता है)। - इनफॉर्मल (Spoken):
It is me who is responsible.
It-cleft का इस्तेमाल हर वाक्य में कर सकते हैं?It was... से शुरू करेंगे, तो आपकी भाषा बहुत बोझिल और 'Artificial' लगेगी। इसका इस्तेमाल नमक की तरह करें—सिर्फ वहीं जहाँ ज़ोर देना वाकई ज़रूरी हो।It-cleft सिर्फ लिखित भाषा के लिए है?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
| मूल वाक्य | जिस बात पर जोर दिया गया | इट-क्लेफ्ट संरचना | प्रभाव |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I bought the book yesterday.
|
The book
|
It was *the book* that I bought yesterday.
|
क्या खरीदा गया, उस पर जोर।
|
|
Sarah helped me with my project.
|
Sarah
|
It was *Sarah* who helped me with my project.
|
किसने मदद की, उस पर जोर।
|
|
They finished the task quickly.
|
Quickly
|
It was *quickly* that they finished the task.
|
यह कैसे किया गया (क्रिया-विशेषण), उस पर जोर।
|
|
We met at the coffee shop.
|
At the coffee shop
|
It was *at the coffee shop* that we met.
|
वे कहाँ मिले (स्थान), उस पर जोर।
|
|
He resigned because of stress.
|
Because of stress
|
It was *because of stress* that he resigned.
|
कारण (उपवाक्य) पर जोर।
|
|
You ordered the wrong item.
|
The wrong item
|
It was *the wrong item* that you ordered.
|
वस्तु के बारे में गलतफहमी को ठीक करता है।
|
औपचारिकता का स्तर
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)
इट-क्लेफ्ट्स: जोर बढ़ाने वाला पावर-अप!
संरचना
- It + be क्लेफ्ट की शुरुआत
- Emphasized Element मुख्य बिंदु
- that/who/which उपवाक्यों को जोड़ता है
- Rest of sentence पृष्ठभूमि की जानकारी
कब उपयोग करें
- Correction गलतफहमी ठीक करना
- New Info आश्चर्यजनक तथ्य पेश करना
- Drama/Emotion तीव्रता जोड़ना
- Clarification कारण समझाना
किन तत्वों पर जोर दिया जाता है
- Subject कौन/क्या क्रिया करता है
- Object कौन/क्या क्रिया प्राप्त करता है
- Adverbial समय, स्थान, तरीका, कारण
- Clause एक पूरा विचार
क्लेफ्ट्स बनाम साधारण जोर
एक इट-क्लेफ्ट बनाना
तुम अपने वाक्य के किस हिस्से को उजागर करना चाहते हो?
तुम्हारी मुख्य क्रिया किस काल में है?
क्या जोर दिया गया तत्व एक व्यक्ति है?
उजागर किए गए तत्व को 'It is/was' के बाद और सापेक्ष सर्वनाम से पहले रखो।
आधुनिक संदर्भों में इट-क्लेफ्ट्स
डिजिटल जीवन
- • इंस्टाग्राम कैप्शन
- • गेमिंग वॉयस चैट
- • दोस्तों को मैसेज करना
पेशेवर
- • जूम इंटरव्यू
- • विश्वविद्यालय परियोजनाएं
- • औपचारिक ईमेल
रोजमर्रा
- • कॉफी शॉप बातचीत
- • नेटफ्लिक्स सबटाइटल
- • खाने का ऑर्डर देना
स्तर के अनुसार उदाहरण
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.
आसानी से भ्रमित होने वाले
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.
सामान्य गलतियाँ
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.
वाक्य संरचनाएँ
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.
जोर को पहचानो
It was *John* who forgot the keys.
अति न करो!
It was *the rain* that ruined our picnic.
अपने कनेक्टर्स अलग-अलग रखो
It was *my sister* who called you, not me.
बोलचाल की शक्ति
गलतफहमियाँ दूर करो
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.
उच्चारण
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.
याद करें
स्मृति सहायक
Remember 'IT IS THE FOCUS': It + Is + The Focus + that...
दृश्य संबंध
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
चैलेंज
Look at the last three sentences you wrote. Rewrite one of them as an it-cleft to change the emphasis.
सांस्कृतिक नोट्स
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.
बातचीत की शुरुआत
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?
डायरी विषय
सामान्य गलतियाँ
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
अभ्यास प्रश्न
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
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (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
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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
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"It" के साथ ज़ोर देना (इट-क्लेफ्ट्स)
Overview क्या आपको कभी लगा है कि आपके वाक्य थोड़े फीके हैं? कभी-कभी आप सबसे महत्वपूर्ण हिस्से पर उंगली उठाना चाहते हैं।...
अंग्रेजी इट-क्लेफ़्ट्स: ऑब्जेक्ट पर जोर देना (It was the...)
### Overview English `It-cleft` sentences, विशेष रूप से वे जो **कर्म (object)** पर ज़ोर देने के लिए उपयोग की जाती हैं,...
समय और स्थान के लिए 'It-Clefts': 'यह तभी था जब...'
### अवलोकन `It-Clefts for Time and Place` (समय और स्थान के लिए इट-क्लैफ्ट) अंग्रेजी व्याकरण की एक परिष्कृत संरचना है जि...
सार्वभौमिक जोर: 'All' का उपयोग करके ध्यान केंद्रित करना (ऑल-क्लेफ्ट)
### Overview अंग्रेजी व्याकरण में महारत हासिल करने का मतलब सिर्फ सही शब्दों का चुनाव करना नहीं है, बल्कि यह समझना भी है...
आपको जिसकी जरूरत है... (जोर देने के लिए Wh-Clefts)
### अवलोकन Wh-clefts, अंग्रेजी में एक शक्तिशाली वाक्य-विन्यास (grammatical construction) हैं जिनका उपयोग किसी वाक्य के भ...
संबंधित वीडियो
Related Grammar Rules
ज़ोर देना: मुझे यह *सच में* पसंद है! (Emphatic Do/Does/Did)
### Overview English grammar में महारत हासिल करने का मतलब सिर्फ सही वाक्य बनाना नहीं है, बल्कि अपनी भावनाओं और इरादों क...
do/does/did के साथ जोर देना
### Overview नमस्ते! आज हम English grammar के एक बहुत ही दिलचस्प और प्रभावशाली विषय पर बात करेंगे: Emphatic `do`, `does...
आपको जिसकी जरूरत है... (जोर देने के लिए Wh-Clefts)
### अवलोकन Wh-clefts, अंग्रेजी में एक शक्तिशाली वाक्य-विन्यास (grammatical construction) हैं जिनका उपयोग किसी वाक्य के भ...
फ्रंटिंग: ऑब्जेक्ट को पहले रखना
### Overview English grammar में 'Fronting' एक बहुत ही sophisticated तकनीक है। जब हम 'Object Fronting' की बात करते हैं,...
अस्तित्वपरक 'There' (है / हैं)
क्या आपने कभी अपना फोन देखा है और महसूस किया है कि `there is` (कोई) वाई-फाई नहीं है? घबराहट का वह छोटा सा क्षण आपके लिए...
