Cleft Sentences exercises — Set 5: Advanced Cleft Sentences: Reversed Clefts, Inferential Clefts & Formal Emphasis (Worksheet)
Worksheet • 20 questions • 15 min
Adequate funding __ what this research project needs above all else.
Financial stability — that is __ every small business owner strives for.
The professor's lack of transparency __ what ultimately led to his dismissal.
__ I object to the plan; it's just that the timeline seems unrealistic.
It's not that the candidate lacks experience; __ her communication skills need improvement.
It's not __ I object to change; it's that the proposed timeline is simply unachievable.
If the negotiations collapsed last month, it __ because neither party was prepared to make concessions.
If employees are leaving in such large numbers, __ the company's management style is fundamentally flawed.
It was not until the full extent of the damage had been assessed __ the insurance company agreed to pay the claim.
It __ not until she read the contract in full that she realised how unfavourable the terms were.
It __ the managing director who authorised the controversial merger, though no one can prove it definitively.
Given the severity of the security breach, it __ an insider who leaked the confidential documents — no external hacker could have accessed that system.
What the research team eventually decided to do was __ a longitudinal study spanning five years.
What subsequently emerged from the inquiry was __ the defendant had been in a different city on the night in question.
What the government should have done __ invest in renewable energy much earlier, rather than continuing to subsidise fossil fuels.
__ happened next took everyone by surprise: the chairman resigned on live television.
__ the lack of proper oversight that allowed the fraud to go undetected for so long.
Greater transparency in government spending — that __ what voters have been demanding.
__ truly sets this candidate apart is her extensive experience in international diplomacy.
The managing director made it absolutely clear: __ cost-cutting that would save the company, but a complete rethinking of its business model.
Cleft Sentences exercises online (Worksheet)
Master C1-level cleft sentence structures for adding emphasis — reversed wh-clefts and pseudo-clefts (focus fronting), inferential clefts (It's not that… it's that…), if-because clefts, cleft sentences with modal perfect forms, and complex 'not until' patterns. Learn to choose the right cleft structure for formal, academic and professional contexts.