Cleft Sentences Exercises PDFSet 2: It-Cleft Variations: Time, Place and Reason Emphasis
20 questions·14 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.It was ___ Tuesday that the accident occurred.
a) onb) atc) ind) for
2.It ___ in 2019 that she graduated from university.
a) isb) wasc) has beend) were
3.It was during the summer ___ we decided to move abroad.
a) whichb) whatc) whered) that
4.It is only recently ___ scientists have discovered the cause.
a) whichb) thatc) whatd) who
5.___ was at midnight that the fire alarm went off.
a) Thereb) Thatc) Itd) This
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.on
2.was
3.that
4.that
5.It
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."on"(a)
Days of the week take the preposition 'on'. The cleft sentence emphasises the specific day: 'It was on Tuesday that …'.
2."was"(b)
The graduation happened in the past, so the cleft sentence needs past tense 'was'. 'It was in 2019 that …' emphasises the year.
3."that"(d)
In an it-cleft sentence, 'that' connects the emphasised element to the rest of the clause. Here the focus is on the time period 'during the summer'.
4."that"(b)
'That' is the standard connector in it-cleft sentences. The cleft emphasises the recency of the discovery.
5."It"(c)
It-cleft sentences always begin with 'It'. 'It was at midnight that …' emphasises the time of the event.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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