It can be used in ‘cleft sentences’ with who- and that-clauses to emphasize one part of a sentence.
Study the following sentence.
- My mother took John to the theater yesterday.
- It was my mother who took John to the theater yesterday. (Emphasis on ‘my mother’)
- It was John that my mother took to the theater yesterday. (Emphasis on ‘Peter’)
Rewrite the following sentences using it.
1. John threw the book into the fire.
2. Susie met James at the railway station.
3. Susie liked the design on the door very much.
4. My father bought me a toy car yesterday.
5. The manager dismissed the dishonest cashier.
6. John worries about his Dad’s health.
7. John talked to the Manager.
8. The police arrested the suspects.
Answers
1. It was John who threw the book into the fire. / It was the book that John threw into the fire.
2. It was Susie who met James at the station. / It was James that Susie met at the station.
3. It was Susie who liked the design on the door very much. / It was the design on the door that Susie liked very much.
4. It was my father who bought me a toy car yesterday. / It was a toy car that my father bought me yesterday.
5. It was the manager who dismissed the dishonest cashier. / It was the dishonest cashier that the manager dismissed.
6. It is John who worries about his Dad’s health. / It is his Dad’s health that worries John.
7. It was John who talked to the manager. / It was the manager that John talked to.
8. It was the police who arrested the suspects. / It was the suspects that the police arrested.