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Russkiy Bear Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Cleft sentence + to be verb
It's in London that he met his wife - I've got this sentence in my grammar book under cleft sentences. It's just one of many.
I was wondering if it's possible to use to be verb (I've got no single example). It's from London that I am. Would that be correct?
Maybe I should have something after to be verb
It's with my wife that I'm angry and It's about the tv show she's crazy. Do they sound ok, better and correct?
I know it's not how people usually say something like that but I'm asking about cleft sentences and the way they work.
I was wondering if it's possible to use to be verb (I've got no single example). It's from London that I am. Would that be correct?
Maybe I should have something after to be verb
It's with my wife that I'm angry and It's about the tv show she's crazy. Do they sound ok, better and correct?
I know it's not how people usually say something like that but I'm asking about cleft sentences and the way they work.
Top answer
I think it should be "It was in London that he met his wife". The other sentences that you quote would not normally be natural English. Normally one would say "It's my wife (who(m)/that) I'm angry with" and "It's the TV show (that) she's crazy about".
- I think it should be "It was in London that he met his wife".
- The other sentences that you quote would not normally be natural English.
- Normally one would say "It's my wife (who(m)/that) I'm angry with" and "It's the TV show (that) she's crazy about".
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6 Answers
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I think it should be "It was in London that he met his wife".
The other sentences that you quote would not normally be natural English. Normally one would say "It's my wife (who(m)/that) I'm angry with" and "It's the TV show (that) she's crazy about".
The other sentences that you quote would not normally be natural English. Normally one would say "It's my wife (who(m)/that) I'm angry with" and "It's the TV show (that) she's crazy about".
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"angry with" and "crazy about" are quite closely bound idiomatic combinations, so breaking that combination and moving the preposition to the front feels rather awkward. However, this is not the case with "in" in the first example.
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Russkiy BearIt's from London that I am. Would that be correct?Yes, it's theoretically correct, but it sounds strange.
Also: It's London that I'm from.
Russkiy BearI know it's not how people usually say something like that but I'm asking about cleft sentences and the way they work.I think you understand the
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CalifJimIt is his wife that Jack is angry with. (weird!)I actually find that sentence quite acceptable.
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