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Hans51 Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

It that cleft sentence or a relative clause?

"I gave him a flower yesterday."

1) It was I that (who) gave him a flower yesterday.

2) It was him that(whom) I gave a flower yesterday.

3) It was a flower that I gave him yesterday.

I am studying it that cleft sentence and I heard that I should put the one I would like to emphasize between it is(was) and that and then I was wondering if in the # 3, I cannot see it as a relative clause and is there a meaning difference whether I mean it that cleft sentence for emphasis or a relative clause like a flower that she gave me was pretty...

What do you native English speakers think? And I hope that my question is clear enough to understand.

Thank you so much as usual in advance!
  

Top answer

Yes, (3) can be interpreted both ways, as you describe. However, in the relative clause interpretation, the tenses and wording may not be ideal for the intended context. For example, if talking about a historical event, it would be better to say "It was a flower that I had given him the day before".

— GPY

  • Yes, (3) can be interpreted both ways, as you describe.
  • However, in the relative clause interpretation, the tenses and wording may not be ideal for the intended context.
  • For example, if talking about a historical event, it would be better to say "It was a flower that I had given him the day before".
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6 Answers
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Yes, (3) can be interpreted both ways, as you describe. However, in the relative clause interpretation, the tenses and wording may not be ideal for the intended context. For example, if talking about a historical event, it would be better to say "It was a flower that I had given him the day before".
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Thank you so much as usual and here in my country, there is a dispute in deciding if it is a relative clause or it that cleft sentence.

In George Orwell’s novel 1984, Big Brother controlled every individual by keeping watch on every aspect of their life. Today, there is an even more threatening Big Brother hiding in the shadows: the search engine. We pour our secrets into the all-powerf
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Hans51We have to trust that it will not spill our secrets, but it’s a trust that has repeatedly been betrayed.What do you think? Both are possible or which one is a more natural way of interpreting, you think?
That's a relative clause.
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Hans51# 3
Cleft

— What did you give him yesterday? I didn't see clearly what you handed to him.
— It was a flower that I gave him yesterday.

Relative clause

— I noticed that there was something in a vase on his desk. I wonder what it was. I couldn't see it clearly.
— It was a flower that I gave him yesterday.
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Thank you so much! Everything is so clear and could you help me out again with this sentence?

Jiwon, the government finally announced the name of the hospital, that treated the first MERS patient.

Yes, Daniel.
It's Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital that treated the first MERS patient for three days last month.

I think that it must be
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Hans51It's Pyeongtaek St. Mary's Hospital that treated the first MERS patient for three days last month.
I think that it must be 'It that cleft sentence' because the hospital is a proper noun. What do you think?
I agree. It must be that because it's out of the question in the given context that there is more than one St. Mary's Hospital and that one of t
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