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B2 Upper-Intermediate

⏱️ 12 Minutes 🛰️ Space Tech & GPS

Cleft Sentences for Emphasis

Learn how changing word order places special emphasis on specific information, using satellite and space technology examples.

? How to Use This Lesson

👩‍🏫 For the Teacher

Guide students through the rule cards to show how word order shifts sentence focus without changing meaning. Allow 12 minutes for reading and practice, and check answers through group discussion.

🎒 For the Learner

Read the 4 clear rules first and notice how the underlined phrases draw attention to key facts. Then try the 12 practice exercises, using the quick hints in brackets whenever you need support.

📖 Grammar Rules Summary

4 Core Patterns

Rule 1: Pointing Out a Specific Part (It-cleft) It is / was ... that / who ...

To emphasize one specific part of a sentence, place it right after It is or It was. Then start the rest of your sentence with that, or who when talking about a person.

Example A (Thing)

It was the weak signal that caused the delay.

Example B (Person)

It is the mission controller who monitors the orbit.

Rule 2: Stressing an Action or Need (What-cleft) What + clause + is / was ...

To highlight an action, a need, or a result, start your sentence with What and a short clause. Next, add is or was followed by the main idea you want to stress.

Example A (Result)

What surprised the engineers was how heavy the old equipment was.

Example B (Action)

What I did next was to check the coordinates.

Rule 3: Matching Verbs Correctly (Agreement) Subject-Verb Agreement

After that or who, the verb matches the stressed noun right before it, not the word It. In a What sentence, the verb inside the first part matches its own subject.

Example A (It-cleft Agreement)

It is the ground stations that control the equipment every day.

Example B (What-cleft Agreement)

What the engineer needs is more accurate navigation.

Rule 4: Fixing Wrong Ideas (Correction) It wasn't ...; it was ...

To fix a wrong idea, put not after is or was in the first cleft sentence. Then state the right idea in a second part, usually after a semicolon.

Example A

It wasn't the receiver that failed; it was the battery.

Example B

It wasn't the storm that stopped the launch; it was a problem with the fuel.

✏️ Practice Exercises

12 Questions

Test your understanding step-by-step. Read each prompt and follow the hint in brackets.

Part 1: Choose the Correct Sentence Questions 1–3

1. Choose the sentence that stresses the network system.

(stress)

____ a. It is the network that processes the navigation signals. ____ b. What is the network processes the navigation signals. ____ c. It was that the network processes the navigation signals.

2. Choose the correct sentence expressing what the navigation team requires.

(action)

____ a. It is what the navigation team requires coordinates. ____ b. What requires the navigation team is accurate coordinates. ____ c. What the navigation team requires is accurate coordinates.

3. Choose the sentence with correct verb agreement for plural receivers.

(agreement)

____ a. It is the new receivers that picks up weak signals from orbit. ____ b. It is the new receivers that pick up weak signals from orbit. ____ c. It are the new receivers that pick up weak signals from orbit.

Part 2: Rewrite Sentence as a Cleft Sentence Questions 4–6

4. Rewrite to stress the place: "We lost the signal in the tunnel."

(place)

Pattern hint: Start with "It was..."

____

5. Rewrite to stress what the tracking team needs: "The tracking team needs an accurate antenna."

(action)

Pattern hint: Start with "What the tracking team needs..."

____

6. Rewrite using an It-cleft to stress the antenna: "The main antenna sends coordinates to the station."

(stress)

Pattern hint: Start with "It is..."

____

Part 3: Fill in the Gaps Questions 7–9

7. Complete the sentence with the relative word for a person.

(relative word)

It is the main tracking engineer ____ calibrated the receiver.

8. Fill in the correct verb form (is / are).

(verb form)

What the satellite operators require ____ a clear view of the new orbit.

9. Complete the correction structure with the negative form.

(correction)

It ____ gravity that altered the flight path; it was atmospheric drag.

Part 4: Correct the Error in a Short Message Questions 10–12

10. Correct the redundant word error in this chat message.

(correction)

💬 "Hey! What I need it is a better receiver for tracking the spacecraft."

Write the full corrected sentence:

____

11. Fix the subject-verb agreement error in this message.

(agreement)

💬 "It is the large antennas that sends coordinates back to base."

Write the full corrected sentence:

____

12. Fix the wrong relative pronoun in this message.

(word choice)

💬 "It was gravity who kept the spacecraft in stable orbit."

Write the full corrected sentence:

____

Cleft Sentences for Emphasis

Cleft Sentences for Emphasis

? How to Use This Lesson

📖 Grammar Rules Summary

✏️ Practice Exercises

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