Cleft

Question

Hello...A: I think the principle is very important.B: It is the principle that I think is very important.******B is intended to be a cleft made from A. Can we turn A into B? I tried to find this out but there seems to be no material that deals with this.A cleft sentence whose focus is the subject of a that-clause....

Pructus · Accepted Answer

For clarification, the same structure will be...

I think Jane did an important role. ? It is Jane that I think did an important role.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

pructusB is intended to be a cleft made from A.

It is. But the sentences we cleave are usually more straightforward. The purpose of making a cleft sentence is to feature the most important word or phrase, for extra emphasis. Cleft sentences create drama and are quite common in dramatic narratives. The sentence should have more than one choice of phrase. For example:

Base sentence: The butler committed the murder with a butcher knife late in the evening.

There are 3 cleft sentences that can be constructed.

Emphasis on WHO did the deed: It was the butler who committed the murder with a butcher knife late in the evening.
Emphasis on WHEN the deed was done: It was late in the evening when the butler committed the murder with a butcher knife.
Emphasis on the MURDER WEAPON: It was with a butcher knife that butler committed the murder late in the evening.

Cleft

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