In this podcast, you’ll learn what cleft sentences are and how to use them in English.
Voice message from Victoria from Madrid
Phrasal verbs in songs
“Don’t give up on me baby..” – David Soul
“You’ve gotta shape up….cos I need a man who can keep me satisfied” – Grease
“Rainy days and Mondays” – Carpenters
“I’m all Shook up” Elvis Presley
“I still haven’t found what I’m Looking for..” U2
7 Songs with phrasal verbs: https://theirishenglishteacher.com/learning-english-7-songs-with-phrasal-verbs/
Cleft means divided or split. It comes from the verb to cleave.
Cleft sentences help to give emphasis in English.
They draw attention to information by placing it at the beginning of a sentence.
Cleft sentences often contain a form of the verb “to be” followed by a noun phrase or pronoun, then the word “that/who/where/when/etc.” and a relative clause.
There are different types of cleft sentences, but one common form is:
It + form of “be” + noun phrase/pronoun + relative pronoun + relative clause
Harry paid the bill. = It was Harry who/that paid the bill. (Emphasizing “Harry” as the one who paid the bill)
I had my first kiss in a telephone box. = It was in a telephone box where I had my first kiss. (Emphasizing “a telephone box” as the location where he had his first kiss)
She stole my wallet. = It was her (or she – archaic/dramatic) who/that stole my wallet.
We last met in September. = It was September when we last met.
Cleft sentences often start with ‘It’ but can also often start with ‘What’.
Craig ate the chocolate.
It was Craig who/that ate the chocolate.
I want a cup of tea right now.
What I want right now is a cup of tea.
You need a rest to help you feel better.
What you (really) need is a rest to help you feel better.
Cleft sentences are used in spoken and written English, but they are more common in written English. This is partly because we can’t use stress or intonation for emphasis when we write.
It’s quite common to use cleft sentences to correct someone.
I think Craig was born in Belfast.
No, it’s Reza who/that was born in Belfast.
The Podcast Show is a conference held in Manchester, isn’t it?
No, it’s London where the Podcast Show is held.
It was Reza who/that won the singing competition.
This sentence emphasizes Reza as the winner of the singing competition.
What I need is a good night’s sleep.
The focus is on the necessity of a good night’s sleep.
It was Reza who helped me pass the C1 exam.
Reza is highlighted as the person who helped me pass.
BUT, give a different focus and emphasis…
It was the C1 exam that/which Reza helped me pass (not the B2 exam).
The C1 exam is emphasized as the exam, not a different exam.
What we need is a very rich sponsor for our podcast.
The focus is on the requirement for a rich sponsor.
Another common construction is:
Noun phrase + relative pronoun + relative clause + form of “be”…
I’ve asked for this meeting to discuss my salary.
The reason why I’ve asked for this meeting is to discuss my salary.
Your honesty impresses more than anything else.
The thing that impresses me more than anything else is your honesty.
The place where we met is not far from here.
Another good month when you can pick mushrooms here is October.
And another common construction is:
Noun phrase + form of “be” + question word + clause
Chocolate is what gets Craig through the day.
Mining Bitcoin is how Craig might become a millionaire!
San Francisco was where it was all happening in the days of Flower Power.
What is it that you like most about your job?
What’s one of your favourite restaurants? What is it that makes this restaurant so popular?
Who’s the person that means most to you?
When is it that you usually feel most productive?
…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. Why not send us a voice message to practise some cleft sentences, or let us know if you can think of songs with phrasal verbs in them!
Send us a voice message. https://www.speakpipe.com/inglespodcast
Send us an email with a comment or question to firstname.lastname@example.org or email@example.com
This podcast is sponsored, in part, by mansionIngles.com. Visit the online store: https://store.mansioningles.net/
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Welcome to our new Patreon supporters who have joined us this month:
Soledad García Rodríguez
Valeri Neyeli Villanueva
Miguel López Costea
In next week’s episode: The most common sound in English
If you enjoyed this podcast, please tell your friends.
The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’
Katika podcast hii, utajifunza nini sentensi cleft ni na jinsi ya kuzitumia katika Kiingereza. "Mwanamke mmoja wa zamani wa Uingereza, Elvis Presley, aliandika wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na aliandika wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby"" na wimbo wa ""Don't Give Up on Me Baby." Linatokana na kitenzi kugawanya. Sentensi zenye ufa husaidia kutoa mkazo katika Kiingereza. Wao huelekeza fikira kwenye habari kwa kuiweka mwanzoni mwa sentensi. Sentensi za Cleft mara nyingi zina fomu ya kitenzi <unk>to be<unk> ikifuatiwa na kifungu cha jina au kiwakilishi, kisha neno <unk>that/who/where/when/etc.<unk> na kifungu cha jamaa. Kuna aina tofauti za sentensi za ufa, lakini fomu moja ya kawaida ni: It + fomu ya <unk>be<unk> + neno la kiasili <unk> pronoun <unk> relative pronoun <unk> relative clause Harry alilipa muswada. = Ilikuwa Harry ambaye alilipa muswada. (Nikisisitiza <unk>Harry<unk> kama yule aliyelipa muswada) Nilikuwa na busu langu la kwanza katika sanduku la simu. """Nilikuwa katika sanduku la simu ambapo nilipiga busu yangu ya kwanza." (Akikazia <unk>box ya simu<unk> kama eneo ambapo alikuwa na busu yake ya kwanza) Aliba mkoba wangu. = Ilikuwa yake (au yeye <unk> archaic/dramatic) ambaye/ambaye kuibiwa mkoba wangu. Tulikutana mara ya mwisho mwezi Septemba. = Ilikuwa Septemba wakati tulikutana mara ya mwisho. Sentensi za cleft mara nyingi huanza na <unk>It<unk> lakini pia mara nyingi zinaweza kuanza na <unk>What<unk>. Craig alikula chokoleti hiyo. Ilikuwa Craig ambaye alikula chokoleti. Nataka kikombe cha chai sasa hivi. Kile ninachotaka sasa ni kikombe cha chai. Unahitaji kupumzika ili ujisikie vizuri. Kile unachohitaji (kwa kweli) ni kupumzika ili kukusaidia ujisikie vizuri. Sentensi za Cleft hutumiwa katika Kiingereza cha kuongea na kilichoandikwa, lakini ni za kawaida zaidi katika Kiingereza kilichoandikwa. Hii ni kwa sehemu kwa sababu hatuwezi kutumia mkazo au intonation kwa msisitizo wakati sisi kuandika. Ni jambo la kawaida kutumia sentensi zenye migawanyiko ili kumrekebisha mtu. Nadhani Craig alizaliwa Belfast. Hapana, ni Reza ambaye alizaliwa katika Belfast. The Podcast Show ni mkutano uliofanyika katika Manchester, si hivyo? Hapana, ni London ambapo Podcast Show ni uliofanyika. Ilikuwa Reza ambaye alishinda mashindano ya kuimba. Sentensi hii inasisitiza Reza kama mshindi wa mashindano ya kuimba. Ninahitaji usingizi mzuri wa usiku. Lengo ni juu ya uhitaji wa usingizi mzuri wa usiku. Reza ndiye aliyenisaidia kupitisha mtihani wa C1. Reza amewekwa alama kama mtu aliyenisaidia kupitisha. Lakini, ni muhimu sana kwamba, kwa sababu ya uzoefu wangu wa miaka miwili, niliweza kuhitimu mtihani wa C1 na Reza, na kwa sababu hiyo, niliweza kuhitimu mtihani wa B2. Mtihani wa C1 ni muhimu kwa ajili ya wanafunzi wa shule ya sekondari, lakini sio kwa ajili ya wanafunzi wa shule ya sekondari. Tunahitaji mdhamini tajiri sana kwa podcast yetu. Lengo ni juu ya mahitaji ya mdhamini tajiri. Ujenzi mwingine wa kawaida ni: Neno kifungu + jamaa kiwakilishi + jamaa kifungu + fomu ya <unk>be<unk>... Nimeomba kwa ajili ya mkutano huu kujadili mshahara wangu. Sababu kwa nini nimeomba mkutano huu ni kujadili mshahara wangu. Uaminifu-mshikamanifu wako huvutia zaidi ya jambo lingine lolote. Jambo linalonivutia zaidi kuliko jambo lingine lolote ni uaminifu-mshikamanifu wako. Mahali tulipokutana si mbali na hapa. Mwezi mwingine mzuri wa kukusanya uyoga hapa ni Oktoba. Na ujenzi mwingine wa kawaida ni: Neno kifungu + fomu ya <unk>be<unk> + swali neno + kifungu Chocolate ni nini anapata Craig kupitia siku. Uchimbaji wa Bitcoin ni jinsi Craig awezavyo kuwa milionea! San Francisco ilikuwa mahali ambapo yote yalikuwa yakitokea katika siku za Nguvu ya Maua. Ni nini unachokipenda zaidi kuhusu kazi yako? Ni mojawapo ya mikahawa unayopenda zaidi? Ni nini kinachofanya mkahawa huu uwe maarufu sana? Ni nani mtu anayekuhusu zaidi? Ni wakati gani unapohisi kuwa na matokeo zaidi? ...na sasa ni zamu yako ya kufanya mazoezi ya Kiingereza chako. Kwa nini usitutumie ujumbe wa sauti ili ufanye mazoezi ya sentensi zenye migawanyiko, au tujulishe ikiwa unaweza kufikiria nyimbo zenye vitenzi vya usemi ndani yake! Tutumie ujumbe wa sauti. "Kama ""Ms.P.I.S.P.A.R.D.S.P.A.R.D.S.P.A.R.D.S.P.A.R.D.S.P.A.R.D.S.P.A.R."" au ""Ms.P.I.S.P.A.R.D.S.P.A.R.D.""" "Kama unavyoona, ""Mashabiki"" ni ""Wazalishaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji"" ni ""Wauzaji"" na ""Wauzaji""" Kujiunga na programu yetu ya Patreon kwa $ 1.50 kwa mwezi na kupata upatikanaji wa haraka wa maandishi ya hivi karibuni. "Kama unavyoona, ""Patreon"" ni moja ya podcasts maarufu zaidi ulimwenguni, na kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya kuvutia kwa watazamaji wengi, Soledad García Rodríguez Valeri, Miguel López Costea, na wengine wengi, tumekuwa tukifanya kazi kwa bidii na kwa bidii." Muziki katika podcast hii ni na Pitx. Wimbo huo unaitwa <unk>See You Later<unk>