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Unit 11
Emphatic Structures
cleft sentences & do/did emphasis
Why Emphatic Structures?
Emphatic structures highlight or draw attention to a specific part of a sentence. They show emotion, contrast, or importance — essential in storytelling, arguments, and persuasive writing.
Do / Does / Did for Emphasis
Add do / does / did + base verb to emphasise a verb — especially to contradict, insist, or express strong feeling.
- ⚠ After "did", always use the base verb: I did call (NOT "called").
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Contradict | "You don't like it." → "I do like it!" |
| Emphasise truth | I did call you — twice! |
| Add feeling | I do hope you'll come. |
| Sincerity | She does care about you. |
What-Clauses for Emphasis
Use a what-clause to emphasise the subject, object, or idea.
- ⚠ The verb after "what" is singular even if the meaning is plural: What we need is new ideas.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| What + clause + be + emphasized part | What I need is a good night's sleep. |
| What matters most is honesty. | |
| What we should do is start again. |
Cleft Sentences — It is/was ... who/that
Cleft sentences split information into two parts to emphasise one element. Use who for people and that for things, times, and reasons.
| Emphasized element | Example |
|---|---|
| Subject (person) | It was Tom who broke the window. |
| Object (thing) | It was the keys that I lost. |
| Place | It was in London that we first met. |
| Time | It was last year that we moved. |
| Reason | It was because of you that I succeeded. |
Fronting for Emphasis
Move part of the sentence to the front for dramatic or rhetorical effect.
- In the middle of the night, the phone rang.
- Never again will I trust him.
- At the end of the road stood an old house.
- 💡 Fronting + inversion adds both focus and style.
Combining Emphatic Structures
- It was what she said that hurt the most.
- What I do love is the way you think.
- It was because he cared that he stayed.
More Cleft Patterns
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| All (that) + clause + is | All I want is a quiet weekend. |
| The thing / reason / place / person ... is | The reason (why) I left was the noise. · The person who helped me was Ayşe. |
| Reversed what-cleft | A quiet weekend is what I want. |
| Contrast: It's not X that ..., it's Y | It's not the money that worries me, it's the time. |
| What + subject + do + is (+ base verb) | What he did was (to) call the police. |
Annotated Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
subjectIauxiliarydidverbcallobjectyou— twice!
↳ Do/Did emphasis — base verb after "did".
subjectWhat I needverbisobjecta good night's sleep.
↳ What-clause — "what" clause as subject, singular verb.
It wassubjectTomwhoverbbrokeobjectthe window.
↳ Cleft sentence — person emphasised with "who".
Common Mistakes
I did called you.
→
I did call you.
After "did" use the base verb: call (not called).
What I like is are books.
→
What I like is books.
One verb only — singular "is" agrees with "what".
It was broke the window Tom.
→
It was Tom who broke the window.
Correct word order: It was + emphasis + who/that + rest.
What do I love is music.
→
What I love is music.
No question word order after "what" — it's a noun clause.
She does cares about you.
→
She does care about you.
After "does" use the base verb: care (not cares).
All what I want is peace.
→
All (that) I want is peace.
"All (that)", not "all what".
The reason is because I was tired.
→
The reason is that I was tired.
"The reason is that ..." (more formal).