Cleft Sentences Exercises PDFSet 5: Advanced Cleft Sentences: Reversed Clefts, Inferential Clefts & Formal Emphasis
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.Adequate funding _____ what this research project needs above all else.
a) wasb) arec) isd) were
2.Financial stability — that is _____ every small business owner strives for.
a) whatb) thatc) whichd) how
3.The professor's lack of transparency _____ what ultimately led to his dismissal.
a) it wasb) wasc) that wasd) what was
4._____ I object to the plan; it's just that the timeline seems unrealistic.
a) That's not whyb) It's not thatc) What's not thatd) Not that it
5.It's not that the candidate lacks experience; _____ her communication skills need improvement.
a) it's whyb) it's becausec) it's thatd) what's that
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.is
2.what
3.was
4.It's not that
5.it's that
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."is"(c)
This is a reversed wh-cleft, where the focus element ('Adequate funding') comes before the linking verb and the wh-clause. The present tense 'needs' in the wh-clause requires present tense 'is'. The wh-clause 'what this project needs' functions as a singular noun clause, so 'are' and 'were' are incorrect. 'Was' creates a tense mismatch with present 'needs'.
2."what"(a)
In this reversed wh-cleft, 'what' introduces the noun clause describing the thing being strived for. 'That' cannot introduce a free relative clause in this position — it would need an antecedent noun. 'Which' requires a defined set to choose from, making it inappropriate here. 'How' would refer to manner, but the sentence is about the thing desired, not the manner of striving.
3."was"(b)
This is a reversed wh-cleft: focus ('The professor's lack of transparency') + linking verb + wh-clause. The simple past 'was' links the subject to the wh-clause 'what ultimately led to his dismissal'. 'It was' creates a double subject (the noun phrase + 'it'). 'That was' and 'what was' insert unnecessary pronouns that break the reversed cleft structure.
4."It's not that"(b)
This is an inferential cleft: 'It's not that X; it's (just) that Y.' The speaker corrects a potential misperception — they don't object to the plan itself, but have concerns about the timeline. 'That's not why' presupposes objection and explains a different reason for it, which contradicts the intended meaning. 'What's not that' and 'Not that it' are ungrammatical constructions.
5."it's that"(c)
The inferential cleft pattern pairs 'It's not that…' with 'it's (just) that…' to correct one interpretation and offer another. 'It's because' shifts to a causal explanation, but the sentence is clarifying what the real issue is, not giving a reason for the first clause. 'It's why' reverses the logic — it would mean 'the reason her skills need improvement is the first clause', which is nonsensical. 'What's that' is ungrammatical in this context.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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