Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1It was the finance director ............... approved the revised budget at the last minute.
Wrong!
Use "who" in this it-cleft because the emphasized information is a person.
2What surprised the committee most ............... the speed of the response.
Wrong!
Use "was" because the wh-cleft subject takes a singular verb before this complement.
3It is during the final review ............... errors of this kind usually emerge.
Wrong!
Use "that" to complete an it-cleft emphasizing the time phrase.
4What the report fails to address ............... the long-term impact on rural communities.
Wrong!
Use "is" because the wh-cleft subject is treated as singular here.
5It was because the data had been misclassified ............... the results seemed inconsistent.
Wrong!
Use "that" to complete an it-cleft emphasizing the reason.
6What the audience remembered most ............... not the conclusion but the opening anecdote.
Wrong!
Use "was" because the wh-cleft subject is treated as singular before the emphasized complement.
7It is the lack of follow-up ............... has frustrated our clients, not the initial delay.
Wrong!
Use "that" to complete an it-cleft emphasizing the real cause of the frustration.
8What we need at this stage ............... a clearer set of priorities.
Wrong!
Use "is" because the wh-cleft subject takes a singular verb before this noun phrase.
9It was only after the second interview ............... she mentioned her previous role in Geneva.
Wrong!
Use "that" to complete an it-cleft emphasizing the time expression.
10What the new policy changes ............... how quickly applications are processed.
Wrong!
Use "is" because the wh-cleft subject is treated as singular before the clause complement.
11It was in the archived correspondence ............... the researchers found the missing evidence.
Wrong!
Use "that" to complete an it-cleft emphasizing the place where the evidence was found.
12What matters most in negotiations ............... whether both sides feel they have been heard.
Wrong!
Use "is" because the wh-cleft subject takes a singular verb before the clause complement.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- It was the finance director who approved the revised budget at the last minute.
- What surprised the committee most was the speed of the response.
- It is during the final review that errors of this kind usually emerge.
- What the report fails to address is the long-term impact on rural communities.
- It was because the data had been misclassified that the results seemed inconsistent.
- What the audience remembered most was not the conclusion but the opening anecdote.
- It is the lack of follow-up that has frustrated our clients, not the initial delay.
- What we need at this stage is a clearer set of priorities.
- It was only after the second interview that she mentioned her previous role in Geneva.
- What the new policy changes is how quickly applications are processed.
- It was in the archived correspondence that the researchers found the missing evidence.
- What matters most in negotiations is whether both sides feel they have been heard.