Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1............... approved the revised budget.
Wrong!
Use "It was the finance director who" to emphasize the person who approved the budget.
2It ............... the report remains inconclusive.
Wrong!
Use "is because the data were incomplete that" to emphasize the reason the report remains inconclusive.
3It ............... the discrepancy became obvious.
Wrong!
Use "was only after the audit that" to emphasize when the discrepancy became obvious.
4It ............... impresses the committee most.
Wrong!
Use "is her persistence that" to emphasize the quality that impresses the committee most.
5It was in the final paragraph ............... the author revealed the main limitation.
Wrong!
Use "that" after the focused place phrase in this it-cleft sentence.
6It ............... the servers came back online.
Wrong!
Use "wasn't until midnight that" in the fixed cleft pattern for emphasizing a delayed time.
7It is the interns ............... the manager praised in the meeting.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "whom" or "who" for the people praised by the manager.
8It was not the cost but the delay ............... caused the client to withdraw.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Use "that" or "which" to introduce the clause after the emphasized noun phrase.
9It is at conferences like this ............... researchers often form lasting collaborations.
Wrong!
Use "that" after the focused place phrase in this it-cleft sentence.
10It was Julia ............... first noticed that the figures had been duplicated.
Wrong!
Use "who" because Julia is the person who noticed the duplicated figures.
11It is by questioning the assumptions ............... we make real progress.
Wrong!
Use "that" after the emphasized means phrase in this it-cleft sentence.
12It was the CEO's refusal to compromise ............... ultimately ended the negotiations.
Wrong!
Use "that" after the emphasized noun phrase in this it-cleft sentence.
Answers
- It was the finance director who approved the revised budget.
- It is because the data were incomplete that the report remains inconclusive.
- It was only after the audit that the discrepancy became obvious.
- It is her persistence that impresses the committee most.
- It was in the final paragraph that the author revealed the main limitation.
- It wasn’t until midnight that the servers came back online.
- It is the interns whom / who the manager praised in the meeting.
- It was not the cost but the delay that / which caused the client to withdraw.
- It is at conferences like this that researchers often form lasting collaborations.
- It was Julia who first noticed that the figures had been duplicated.
- It is by questioning the assumptions that we make real progress.
- It was the CEO’s refusal to compromise that ultimately ended the negotiations.
