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Nivel A1.1 — IdentidadNivel A1.2 — Rutinas y entornoNivel A2.1 — Contando el mundoNivel A2.2 — Comparando y proyectandoIntermedio · B1–B2
Level B1.1 — Connecting experiencesLevel B1.2 — Narrating and describingLevel B2.1 — ArguingLevel B2.2 — NuanceProfesional / Avanzado · C1–C2
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Career Track BusinessCareer Track Economics and FinanceCareer Track Business AdministrationCareer Track Information Systems EngineeringCareer Track Educational SciencesCareer Track Medicine and Health SciencesCareer Track Tourism and HospitalityCareer Track Occupational Health and SafetyCareer Track Legal EnglishWelcome to C1! Cleft sentences "split" a normal sentence into two parts to place emphasis exactly where you want it. Instead of "I need more time," you say "What I need is more time" — pushing the key idea into the spotlight.
Why this matters This lesson connects directly to your progress: it covers what-clefts: emphasizing an idea or action; it-clefts: emphasizing a specific detail; other cleft structures. Mastering this content lets you move forward confidently, and reinforces patterns you'll use again later. Take time to review every example before moving to the assessment — repetition is what actually locks knowledge in long-term.
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The goals of this lesson.
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You already build standard sentences with a clear subject and verb. This lesson teaches cleft sentences — restructuring a sentence to put emphasis exactly where you want it ("What I need is...").
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"What" clauses put the emphasis on an action, need, or idea, followed by "is/was" and the important information.
| Normal | Cleft |
|---|---|
| I need more time. | What I need is more time. |
Examples
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"It was/is ___ that/who ___" isolates exactly which person, time, place, or thing is important — often used to correct a misunderstanding.
| Normal | Cleft |
|---|---|
| John broke the vase. | It was John who broke the vase. |
Examples
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"All," "the thing that," and "the reason" work similarly to "what," each adding a slightly different shade of emphasis.
Examples
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Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.
What surprised everyone about the merger wasn't the price — it was the timing. It was the CEO who insisted on closing the deal before the end of the fiscal year. What the board really wanted was more time to evaluate the risks.
All the shareholders asked for was transparency about the numbers. It wasn't until the final vote that most people fully understood the implications. What matters now is how the two companies integrate their teams successfully.
1. What surprised everyone about the merger?
2. Who insisted on closing the deal quickly?
3. What did the board really want?
4. What did all the shareholders ask for?
5. What matters most now, according to the text?
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Usa las pistas para completar cada palabra en inglés. Sin calificar — repite las veces que quieras.
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The essentials of this lesson, summarized.
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Key terms to remember.
to require something because it is essential, not just wanted
In cleft sentences, "What I need is..." foregrounds the noun phrase for emphasis, making the need itself the focus of the sentence.
NeutralCollocations: meet a need, in need of, need be, dire need
Synonyms: require, want, lack
desires or wishes for something
Used in a cleft structure, "What she wants" isolates the desired outcome as new, emphasized information.
NeutralCollocations: wants and needs, gets what one wants, wants nothing more
Synonyms: desires, wishes for, craves
caused someone to feel astonishment, often unexpectedly
Fronting "What surprised me most" builds anticipation before revealing the surprising element itself.
NeutralCollocations: pleasantly surprised, come as no surprise, surprised to learn
Synonyms: astonished, amazed, stunned
to discuss something, often to resolve or address it
In "What we should do is talk," the cleft structure recommends an action by emphasizing it as the solution.
Informal-neutralCollocations: talk to, talk over, small talk, have a talk
Synonyms: speak, discuss, converse
causes annoyance, worry, or discomfort
"What bothers me" is a common cleft opener for expressing a personal grievance in a measured, indirect way.
Neutral-informalCollocations: what bothers you, bothers me the most, doesn't bother
Synonyms: annoys, irritates, troubles
to feel deep affection or strong enjoyment for something
"What I love about" is a common way to introduce a positive, appreciative opinion in a cleft sentence.
NeutralCollocations: love about, fall in love with, love it when
Synonyms: adore, be fond of, cherish
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Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
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Tap the correct verb form to complete each sentence. The other options are conjugations from other tenses — on purpose, so you learn to tell them apart.
It until Friday that we got the results
All I is a quiet weekend
What impressed the audience was her confidence
All she did was
It was traffic that made us late not laziness
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Listen to the full dialogue with the speaker buttons first, then fill in the missing words from this lesson's real conversation. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.
What did you most about the
What me most was the lack of a timeline.
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You need at least 80% to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want — your best score is saved.
1. Which option matches: "It wasn't until Friday that we got the results."?
2. Which option matches: "It was yesterday that I received the news."?
3. Choose the equivalent of: "It was the traffic that made us late, not laziness."
4. What does this mean: "What we discovered changed the entire project."?
5. Choose the equivalent of: "The thing that really matters is honesty."
6. What does this mean: "All you need to do is fill out this form."?
7. Which option matches: "It was John who broke the vase."?
8. Choose the equivalent of: "What surprised me most was his honesty."
9. Which option matches: "It was her attitude that impressed the interviewers."?
10. What does this mean: "It's the small details that make the biggest difference."?
Review — Lesson 49 What matches: "Although it was raining, we went for a walk."?
Review — Lesson 49 What matches: "He works very hard. Nonetheless, he never seems satisfied."?
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You now redirect emphasis with cleft sentences (What I need is...). Next lesson: hedging and mitigation, for softening claims professionally.
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Practice this lesson's vocabulary with a word search and flashcards. Ungraded — play as many times as you like.
Tap the first and last letter of a hidden word to find it. Los términos de varias palabras van sin espacios en el tablero (ej. "give up" aparece como GIVEUP).
Elige la respuesta correcta. Si aciertas, la tarjeta queda lista por hoy; si fallas, vuelve a aparecer pronto para reforzarla. Tu progreso se guarda en este dispositivo.