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
It-cleft (It 강조 구문)입니다.cleft라는 단어는 '쪼개다'라는 의미의 cleave에서 왔습니다. 즉, 하나의 평범한 문장을 두 부분으로 쪼개서, 내가 정말 하고 싶은 말을 돋보이게 만드는 구조입니다. 중급 단계에서는 The marketing team designed the new logo 같은 중립적인 문장만으로도 충분했지만, 상급으로 나아가는 B2 레벨에서는 It was the marketing team who designed the new logo와 같은 구조를 통해 청자의 시선을 정확히 '누가' 했는지로 유도할 수 있어야 합니다.It-cleft를 완벽하게 내 것으로 만드는 방법을 살펴보겠습니다.은/는, 이/가, 을/를)와 바로, 다름 아닌 같은 부사를 사용하여 강조하고 싶은 단어를 문장 어디에든 배치하기가 비교적 자유롭습니다.It이라는 '가짜 주어(Dummy Subject)'를 내세워 문장의 구조를 재편합니다. 이것이 바로 It-cleft의 핵심 원리입니다.- 1정보의 전면 배치 (Fronting): 강조하고 싶은 요소를 문장 앞부분으로 끌어옵니다.
- 2프레임 씌우기: 강조할 요소 앞에
It is/was를 붙여 «이게 바로 핵심이야!»라는 신호를 줍니다. - 3배경 정보의 후치: 나머지 정보는
that이나who뒤로 보내 배경 지식으로 처리합니다.
- 평서문:
Minjun bought the coffee.(민준이가 커피를 샀다.) - 한국어 강조:
커피를 산 사람은 바로 민준이였어.
- 영어 It-cleft:
It was Minjun who bought the coffee.
It은 아무런 의미가 없는 '형식적인 주어'일 뿐입니다. 한국어의 «~하는 것은 바로 ~이다»라는 구조에서 «~하는 것»에 해당하는 부분을 영어에서는 뒤쪽의 that절로 보내고, 강조하고 싶은 대상을 It is 바로 뒤에 배치하는 방식입니다. 이를 통해 듣는 사람은 문장이 시작되자마자 무엇이 중요한 정보인지 즉각적으로 파악하게 됩니다.It-cleft를 만드는 공식은 매우 체계적입니다. 다음의 구조를 기억하세요.It + be 동사 + [강조할 내용] + that/who + [나머지 문장]- 1
It: 항상It으로 시작합니다. 문맥에 따라This나That으로 바꿀 수 없으므로 주의하세요. - 2
be동사: 시제는 원래 문장의 시제를 따릅니다. 하지만 수일치는 항상It에 맞춰 단수형(is,was,has been)을 씁니다. - 3[강조할 내용]: 명사(주어, 목적어), 대명사, 부사구(시간, 장소) 등이 올 수 있습니다. 단, 동사나 형용사는 이 자리에 직접 올 수 없습니다.
- 4
that/who(관계사):
- 사람을 강조할 때는
who나that을 씁니다. - 사물, 장소, 시간, 이유 등을 강조할 때는 주로
that을 씁니다. (비격식체에서는 장소에where, 시간에when을 쓰기도 하지만that이 가장 보편적이고 안전합니다.)
The CEO signed the contract yesterday. | 주어 (CEO) | It was the CEO who/that signed the contract yesterday. |The CEO signed the contract yesterday. | 목적어 (Contract) | It was the contract that the CEO signed yesterday. |The CEO signed the contract yesterday. | 부사구 (Time) | It was yesterday that the CEO signed the contract. |- 기본 문장:
We first met in that cafe.(우리는 그 카페에서 처음 만났다.) - 1단계: 강조할 요소 정하기 ->
in that cafe(장소 강조) - 2단계: 시제 확인 ->
met(과거)이므로It was사용 - 3단계: 틀 만들기 ->
It was in that cafe... - 4단계: 연결 및 마무리 ->
It was in that cafe that we first met.
It-cleft는 단순히 문장을 멋지게 만들기 위한 것이 아닙니다. 다음과 같은 구체적인 상황에서 전략적으로 사용됩니다.- A: «지수가 프로젝트 제안서를 냈지?»
- B:
아니, 제안서를 낸 건 지수가 아니라 수빈이였어.
- English:
No,
it was Subin who submitted the proposal, not Jisu.
It’s not the salary that attracts me to this job; it’s the flexible working hours.
While many factors led to the success of the K-drama, it was the high-quality script that played the most crucial role.
It is your attitude that I find most disappointing.
The room was silent. It was then that the phone suddenly rang.
It-cleft를 사용할 때 자주 범하는 실수들을 살펴봅시다. 이는 주로 한국어와 영어의 구조적 차이에서 기인합니다.that절 내부의 수일치 오류 (Subject-Verb Agreement)It is... 뒤에 오는 명사가 that절의 주어 역할을 할 때, 동사는 It이 아니라 강조된 명사에 맞춰야 합니다.- 잘못된 예:
It is the employees that is responsible for this.(X) - 바른 예:
It is the employees that are responsible for this.(O) - 설명: 강조된 대상이 복수(
employees)이므로that절의 동사도are가 되어야 합니다. 한국어에서는 «책임이 있는 것은 직원들이다»라고 할 때 동사의 형태가 변하지 않기 때문에 자주 실수하는 부분입니다.
It-cleft는 명사나 부사구는 강조할 수 있지만, 동사나 형용사를 직접 강조할 수는 없습니다.- 잘못된 예:
It was delicious that the food was.(X) - 바른 예:
The food was truly delicious.(O) 또는What the food was was delicious.(Pseudo-cleft) - 설명: 형용사를 강조하고 싶다면
really,absolutely같은 부사를 쓰거나 문장 구조를 바꿔야 합니다.
I, He, She 같은 대명사일 때 격을 어떻게 쓸지 고민하게 됩니다.- 격식 (Formal):
It was I who called you.(주격 사용) - 일상 대화 (Informal):
It was me who called you.(목적격 사용) - 설명: 문법적으로는 주격(
I)이 맞지만, 현대 영어 구어체에서는 목적격(me)을 쓰는 것이 훨씬 자연스럽습니다. B2 레벨에서는 상황에 맞춰 선택하되, 일상 대화에서는me,him,her를 쓰는 것을 추천합니다.
It is...로 시작하면 글의 흐름이 끊기고 오히려 강조의 효과가 사라집니다. 정말 중요한 정보를 전달할 때만 아껴서 사용하세요.It-cleft를 비교해 보면 그 특징이 더 명확해집니다.It is [X] that... | 특정 요소 [X]를 선별하여 강조. 이미 알려진 상황에서 범인을 지목하는 느낌. | It was the rain that ruined our picnic. (소풍을 망친 건 바로 '비'였어.) |What ... is [Y] | 전체적인 행위나 결과 [Y]를 강조. 새로운 정보를 소개하거나 요약하는 느낌. | What ruined our picnic was the rain. (우리 소풍을 망친 것은 다름 아닌 비였어.) |It is [Adj] to... | 구조적 편의. 주어가 너무 길 때 뒤로 보내는 가주어 구문. 강조의 의미는 없음. | It is important to check the weather. (날씨를 확인하는 것은 중요하다.) |It-cleft는 «누가/무엇이 그랬는지»에 초점을 맞추고, What-cleft (Pseudo-cleft)는 «일어난 일이 무엇인지»에 초점을 맞춥니다. 예를 들어, 카페에서 친구가 내 커피를 쏟았다면, 범인을 지목할 때는 It-cleft (It was you who spilled it!)가 자연스럽고, 일어난 사건 자체를 강조할 때는 What-cleft (What you did was spill my coffee!)가 더 어울립니다.that 대신에 which를 써도 되나요?which를 쓰기도 하지만, 현대 영어에서는 that이 압도적으로 많이 쓰입니다. 특히 It-cleft 구조에서는 that을 쓰는 것이 가장 자연스럽습니다.where를 써도 되나요?It was in Seoul where we first met.이라고 할 수 있습니다. 하지만 원어민들은 It was in Seoul that we first met.처럼 that을 사용하는 것을 더 선호하는 경향이 있습니다.It is... 뒤에 나오는 명사가 복수인데 왜 It are라고 안 하나요?It은 뒤에 오는 내용을 가리키는 고정된 형식상의 주어이기 때문입니다. 영어에서 It은 항상 단수 취급을 하므로, 강조되는 대상이 무엇이든 상관없이 동사는 항상 is나 was를 씁니다. 단, that절 안의 동사는 강조된 명사에 수일치를 시켜야 한다는 점을 잊지 마세요!It-cleft 문장에서 that을 생략할 수 있나요?It was the movie I wanted to see), 주어를 강조할 때는 생략할 수 없습니다. 명확한 의미 전달을 위해 that이나 who를 항상 써주는 습관을 들이는 것이 좋습니다.It-cleft는 여러분의 영어를 한 단계 더 원어민스럽고 정교하게 만들어 줄 것입니다. 한국어의 «바로 ~이다»라는 느낌을 살리고 싶을 때, 이 It의 마법을 사용해 보세요. 연습만이 완벽함을 만듭니다. 지금 바로 오늘 있었던 일 중 하나를 골라 It-cleft 문장으로 만들어 보는 건 어떨까요? It is practice that makes perfect!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
| 강조 유형 | Structure | Example | 뉘앙스 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Subject (Person)
|
It is/was + Noun/Pronoun + who/that + Verb Phrase
|
It was Sarah who aced the exam.
|
특정 인물을 강조해요.
|
|
Subject (Thing)
|
It is/was + Noun + that/which + Verb Phrase
|
It was the strong wind that blew down the fence.
|
원인이나 행위자를 강조해요.
|
|
Object
|
It is/was + Noun/Pronoun + that/which + Subject + Verb
|
It was the coffee that I spilled, not the tea.
|
어떤 대상에 행동이 가해졌는지 명확히 해요.
|
|
Time
|
It is/was + Adverb of Time + that/when + Clause
|
It was yesterday that I found my keys.
|
정확한 시점을 짚어줘요.
|
|
Place
|
It is/was + Adverb of Place + that/where + Clause
|
It was in the kitchen that we left the groceries.
|
특정 장소를 명시해요.
|
|
Correction
|
It is/was + Correct Info + that/who + Incorrectly Attributed Clause
|
It wasn't me who broke the vase; it was the cat.
|
잘못된 정보를 바로잡아요.
|
|
Strong Feeling
|
It is/was + Noun + that + Clause
|
It's your positivity that brightens my day!
|
감정적인 영향을 전달해요.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
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)
수준별 예문
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.
혼동하기 쉬운
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.
자주 하는 실수
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.
문장 패턴
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.
강조하는 부분에 귀 기울여 보세요
It was the last piece of cake that I ate.
'It-Clefts'를 너무 많이 쓰지 마세요
It is important to use it wisely.
'That'을 자유자재로 사용해 보세요
It was my mom that called me.
격식은 상황에 따라 달라져요
It was me who broke the vase.
잘못된 정보를 바로잡을 때 사용하세요
It was the blue car that we saw, not the red one.
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.
발음
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.
암기하기
기억법
Remember 'IT IS THE...' — It (Subject), Is (Verb), The (Focus).
시각적 연상
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
챌린지
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').
문화 노트
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.
대화 시작하기
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?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
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
연습 문제
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.
올바른 문장을 선택하세요:
다음을 영어로 번역하세요: 'Foi o silêncio que me assustou.'
단어들을 배열하여 문장을 만드세요:
it-cleft에서 강조된 요소와 올바른 관계대명사를 연결하세요.
It is the small gestures ___ truly matter in a relationship.
It was because of her talent that she got the scholarship.
올바른 문장을 선택하세요:
다음을 영어로 번역하세요: 'É a paciência que os caracteriza.'
단어들을 배열하여 문장을 만드세요:
원문과 올바르게 강조된 it-cleft 버전을 연결하세요.
Score: /12
자주 묻는 질문 (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
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
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Strong
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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
관련 동영상
02:13 Two-Minute Case Study - Data & Gabbana: Stitch Fix's Predictive Algorithms
05:17 How much would it cost to buy the Sun? - Cella Wright
03:40 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Judgment Day | Alwind Clips
It is ~ that 강조구문 쉽게 이해하기! (영어 문법)
Learn English with Lucy
[영어문법] It is ~ that 강조구문
English with Jessica
It is ~ that 강조 구문
English with Kevin
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