It-Cleft Sentences

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

It is not a transfer of information that defines a great presentation. It was the coherence gap, more than any weakness in data, that killed otherwise strong proposals.

Grammar Reference · It-Cleft Sentences

It-cleft — form

It is the structure that determines success. — It is/was + X + that/who + rest of sentence

It-cleft — what it

It was the opening hook that lost the audience. — highlights the noun phrase after is/was

It-cleft — with who

It was Satya Nadella who transformed Microsoft's culture. — use who for people

Common error

It is the data which matters most. ✗ → use that (not which) in standard it-clefts ✓

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

It-Cleft Sentences

1.It the opening hook that determines audience engagement.

2.It the lack of structure that caused the pitch to fail.

3.It was Sheryl Sandberg first brought the concept of radical candour to a mainstream business audience.

4.It is the speaker's credibility the audience assesses within the first two minutes.

5.It sign-posting language that helps an audience follow a complex argument.

6.It was the arc of the presentation that won the board's approval, not the financial model.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.The opening hook determines audience engagement most.

2.Poor structure caused the presentation to fail.

3.Sign-posting language reduces cognitive load significantly.

4.Hans Rosling transformed the way global data is presented to public audiences.

5.The delivery, not the slides, won the contract.

6.The speaker's register matters most when presenting to a non-specialist board.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

It-Cleft Sentences01EnglishPlans.com