Definition of the word cleft sentence

The term "cleft sentence" refers to a grammatical structure that separates the subject or object from the rest of a sentence with the help of a relative pronoun such as "it," "they," or "there." This type of sentence is called a cleft sentence because it literally creates a gap or cleft in the middle of the sentence, with the new information brought forward. In linguistic terms, a cleft sentence is a type of complex sentence, which contains a dependent clause (the "it is" or "there is" part) and an independent clause (the main clause, which comes after the relative pronoun and provides new information). The structure of a cleft sentence is as follows: "It is/there is [subject or object] that/who/which [new information]." The cleft structure is often used in English to highlight a particular element of a sentence or to add emphasis to certain information. It comes in handy when clarifying the relationship between subjects, objects, and actions in a sentence. Unlike simple sentences that present straightforward statements, cleft sentences allow speakers to emphasize specific elements in a sentence, making them a useful tool for denoting focus and importance.