We can put emphasis on a particular noun by beginning the sentence with the structure ‘it is / it was’.
Read the following sentence.
Susie does all the housework.
This sentence doesn’t put an emphasis on any word.
It is Susie who does all the housework. (Now the emphasis is on the noun Susie.)
It is the housework that Susie does. (Now the emphasis is on the word housework.)
My son won the tennis championship.
It was my son who won the championship. (Emphasis on the words my son)
It was the tennis championship that my son won. (Emphasis on the words tennis championship)
Exercise
Rewrite the following sentences using it is or it was.
1. My father has bought a Ferrari.
2. Mike started the argument.
3. A herbal cure restored my health.
4. My brother bought a diamond ring for me.
5. My sister writes excellent stories.
6. The boy threw the book into the fire.
Answers
1. It is my father who has bought a Ferrari. / It is a Ferrari that my father has bought.
2. It was Mike who started the argument.
3. It was a herbal cure that restored my health.
4. It was my brother who bought a diamond necklace for me. / It was a diamond necklace that my brother brought for me.
5. It is my sister who writes excellent stories.
6. It was the boy who threw the book into the fire. / It is the book that the boy threw into the fire.