Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1It was Dr Marin ............... persuaded the ethics panel to reopen the trial.
Wrong!
Use "who" because the clefted focus is a person, Dr Marin, not a thing or action.
2It was in the final quarter ............... the currency finally stopped sliding.
Wrong!
Use "when" because the focused element, in the final quarter, is a time expression.
3............... was the valuation of the intangible assets, not the arithmetic.
Wrong!
Use "What the auditors questioned" because a pseudo-cleft subject is introduced by what, not by a finite that-clause in this structure.
4By comparing the access logs with the badge records—that was ............... they discovered the breach.
Wrong!
Use "how" because the focus is the manner of discovery: by comparing the access logs.
5It was behind the station ............... the first unmarked packages were found.
Wrong!
Use "where" because the clefted focus, behind the station, is a place.
6............... was a short postponement, not a permanent exemption.
Wrong!
Use "All I asked for" because all-clefts mean the only thing requested and are followed naturally by was.
7It was ............... that alarmed the committee, but the assumptions behind them.
Wrong!
Use "not the figures themselves" because negation precedes the focused noun phrase inside the cleft.
8............... she meant was that the timetable was provisional, not that the grant had been withdrawn.
Wrong!
Use "What" because the complement identifies the thing she meant: that the timetable was provisional.
9It was because of the conflict of interest ............... he recused himself from the vote.
Wrong!
Use "that" because in an it-cleft a focused reason phrase such as because of the conflict of interest is followed by that, not by why or when.
10It was the clause on data retention ............... the regulator found unenforceable.
Wrong!
Use "that" because the focused element is the clause, a non-human thing, not a person.
11............... the argument finally broke down was over the definition of consent.
Wrong!
Use "where" because the sentence identifies the place the argument finally broke down: over the definition of consent.
12............... was the candidate’s refusal to oversimplify the evidence.
Wrong!
Use "What impressed the panel most" because a pseudo-cleft subject identifying the focus is introduced by what.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- It was Dr Marin who persuaded the ethics panel to reopen the trial.
- It was in the final quarter when the currency finally stopped sliding.
- What the auditors questioned was the valuation of the intangible assets, not the arithmetic.
- By comparing the access logs with the badge records—that was how they discovered the breach.
- It was behind the station where the first unmarked packages were found.
- All I asked for was a short postponement, not a permanent exemption.
- It was not the figures themselves that alarmed the committee, but the assumptions behind them.
- What she meant was that the timetable was provisional, not that the grant had been withdrawn.
- It was because of the conflict of interest that he recused himself from the vote.
- It was the clause on data retention that the regulator found unenforceable.
- where the argument finally broke down was over the definition of consent.
- What impressed the panel most was the candidate’s refusal to oversimplify the evidence.