English Grammar in Use – Cleft sentences prepared by Tran Xuan Thoai Kien LuongHigh School.. Subject focus : We use cleft sentence to emphasize the subject of the action.. Ex 1 : My brot
Trang 1English Grammar in Use – Cleft sentences prepared by Tran Xuan Thoai Kien Luong
High School.
CLEFT SENTENCES
( Câu chẻ - câu nhấn mạnh )
A Cleft sentences in the active :
1 Subject focus : We use cleft sentence to emphasize the subject of the action.
It is / was + S + clause ( S + V + … )
Ex 1 : My brother bought a new car from our next- door neighbour last Saturday.
It was my brother who bought his new car from our next- door neighbour last Saturday.
Ex 2 : The man gave her the book => It was the man who gave her the book.
2 Object focus : We use cleft sentences to emphasize the object of the action.
It is / was + O + clause ( S + V + … )
Ex 1 : My brother bought a new car from our next- door neighbour last Saturday.
It was a new car that my brother bought from our next- door neighbour last Saturday.
Ex 2 : The boy hit the dog in the garden => It was the dog that the boy hit in the garden.
3 Adverbial focus : We use cleft sentences to emphasize the adverb ( time / place / …… )
It is / was + adverbial phrase + clause ( S + V + … )
Ex 1 : - My brother bought a new car from our next- door neighbour last Saturday.
It was last Saturday when my brother bought a new car from our next- door neighbour.
Ex 2 : - She bought him a present at the shop => It was at the shop that she bought him a present.
B Cleft sentences in the passive : Cleft sentences can also be used in the passive voice
Ex 1 : The boy hit the dog in the garden => It was the dog that was hit in the garden.
Ex 2 : A I heard that a dog bit you yesterday.
B No It was the postman that was bitten by the dog.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1 : Rewrite the following sentences; using Cleft sentences
1.The boy visited his uncle last month
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2 My mother bought me a present on my birthday
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3 Huong and Sandra sang together at the party
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4 Nam’s father got angry with him
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5 The boys played football all day long
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6 The girl received a letter from her friend yesterday
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7 His presence at the meeting frightened the children
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8 The man is learning English
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9 The woman gave him the book
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Trang 2English Grammar in Use – Cleft sentences prepared by Tran Xuan Thoai Kien Luong
High School.
10 She sent her friend the postcard
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11 Hoa borrowed the book from Long
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12 The little boy greeted his grandfather in a strnge language
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13 The pedestrian asked the policeman a lot of questions
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14 The dog barked at the stranger
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15 She made some cakes for tea
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16 His father repaired the bicycle for him
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17 She presented him a book on his birthday
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18 He met his wife in Britain =>
19 She bought that present from the shop
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20 The meeting started at 8.00 a.m
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Exercise 2: Change the sentences into cleft sentences in the passive.
1.Fans gave Christina lots of flowers
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2 The pedestrian asked the policeman for direction to the post office
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3 People talked a lot about his house
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4 His father bought him a bicycle for his birthday
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5 He described his hometown in his novel
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6 She frightened the children
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7 Her younger sister broke her glasses
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8 The prince kissed my younger sister at the party
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9 My father gave me this story book as a birthday present
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10 Vietnamese people celebrate Tet as the greatest occasion in a year
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