Hi there! My students need to work on connected speech rather than just isolated items, so we’re going to shift the focus to structures such as clefts and so on.
‘Clefts’ sounds like a serious thing, but it basically relates to sentences that start with an ‘unusual word, usually for emphasis. There are different types of cleft sentences depending on the word that begins the sentences. In this post I will only deal with All clefts.
In this post, you have a short explanation, a sentence transformation activity, and a couple of songs that include this structure.
After all, who said grammar couldn’t be fun?😂
But why ‘All clefts’?
Because they make speech and writing sound more natural and expressive. They also add emphasis to a sentence and… they happen to appear in everyday English, songs and casual chat.
‘All’ Cleft Sentences – A Quick Explanation
‘All’ cleft sentences are used to emphasize the only thing that matters to the speaker. Instead of saying something in a neutral way, we highlight what is most important using ‘All.’
Structure:
All + subject + verb + is/was + infinitive or noun phrase
Examples in Context
Neutral sentence: I just want to relax today.
‘All’ cleft version: All I want to do is relax today. ( Emphasizes that relaxing is the only goal.)
I needed a break from work. > All I needed was a break from work. ( Highlights that this was the only thing necessary.)
She asked for some peace and quiet.> All she asked for was some peace and quiet. ( Stresses that nothing else was asked for.)
Right! Now let’s move on to hearing this structure in context, just to get your ears trained and tuned into noticing and identifying it. (An important step before using it, I can tell you)
Here are a three videos that use this structure! Just play and sit back.
First one coming up is Sheryl Crow’s All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun
Second up…. Yes! I bet you already guessed All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey. If you think you can put up with it after TWO WHOLE MONTHS of being bombarded before and during Christmas, then hit the play button.
Third up is a really, really, really old song! All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
Last of all, want a challenge? Complete the sentences on this short sentence completion. 👇​👇​👇​