Cleft Sentences Exercises PDFSet 4: Mixed Cleft Sentences: Choosing the Right Structure
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.It ___ in 1969 that humans first landed on the moon.
a) wasb) hasc) didd) had
2.___ truly frightens me is the thought of failure.
a) Itb) Whatc) Alld) The thing
3.___ she ever talks about is her new job.
a) Whatb) Itc) Alld) The thing
4.___ was my brother who fixed the car.
a) Whatb) Allc) The persond) It
5.It was Sarah ___ suggested the idea first.
a) whichb) whoc) whatd) whom
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.was
2.What
3.All
4.It
5.who
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."was"(a)
This is an it-cleft emphasising a time phrase. The structure 'It was … that …' requires 'was' to link the focused element 'in 1969' to the rest of the clause.
2."What"(b)
This is a wh-cleft (pseudo-cleft). Only 'What' can directly begin a noun clause before a verb like 'frightens' without an additional relative pronoun. 'All' and 'The thing' would each need 'that' after them.
3."All"(c)
This is an all-cleft. The word 'ever' in affirmative sentences is licensed by universal quantifiers like 'all,' making 'All she ever talks about' the correct collocation. 'What she ever talks about' is not standard English.
4."It"(d)
This is an it-cleft with the structure 'It was … who …' for emphasising a person. Only 'It' can begin this pattern; the other options would require a completely different sentence structure.
5."who"(b)
This is an it-cleft focusing on a person. Use 'who' as the connector for people in subject position. 'Whom' is only for object position, and 'which' cannot refer to people.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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