I was reading about how lengthy wording is moved to end the Clause by placing everything in a what-phrase at the beginning of the clause. And, I found this example- What he did was exceed our expectations and push performance art to a new level. I can’t understand why there is a plain form of … Read more
From "Qualified Homage to Thoreau" by Wallace Stegner: It is Thoreau the moralizing enemy of the tradition to which he owes all his own authority who puts me off. At first glance, it looks like a cleft sentence. But then I feel like there is something different, shouldn’t it be "It is Thoreau who is … Read more
If I transform a sentence in present perfect into it-cleft construction, for example, He has inspired me. which pair of tenses used in both matrix and subordinate clauses are correct? or neither. It was he who has inspired me. It has been he who has inspired me. Answer He has inspired me. We can change … Read more
The sentence is said to appear in a textbook. I feel this is a cleft sentence to emphasize ‘them,’ but then it’s omitting ‘who are’ before the ‘waiting,’ but is this way of expression common? Answer Yes. While inserting a "who are" would still be proper, the form as it is is more common. The … Read more
The faeces contain nitrogen and it is that which fertilises the desert soil. source: A collection of a bunch of sentences What does “it” stand for? I’m considering two possibilities: 1, “it” refers to nitrogen. And “that which” can be replaced by “what”. 2, “it is….which…” work together to make the cleft sentence construction. Answer … Read more
Here are several examples: Luis lost his job and was short of money, so what he did was (to) sell his flat and move in with his brother. The reason hundreds of students marched through the city centre was to protest against the new laws. What I want to do is (-) persuade them to … Read more
Often is an adverb according to Oxford Dictionaries Online. ADVERB 1 Frequently; many times. ‘he often goes for long walks by himself’ ‘how often do you have your hair cut?’ 1.1 In many instances. ‘vocabulary often reflects social standing’ As an adverb, it should not be a complement of BE as this answer explains and … Read more
Which personal pronouns are complement of verb be? First example: A: It was him who broke the window pane. or B: It was he who broke the window pane. Second example: C: It’s me. Can you open the door? I haven’t got my key or D: It’s I. Can you open the door? I haven’t … Read more
The others figure it was Rocket that took them, and they’re all pissed off. Source I always say, they took my pen or they took my umbrella. but here that sounds like: non living being came to life and took something. Answer Because ‘that’ is a relative pronoun in this context, and relative pronouns can … Read more
“I don’t really have an opinion of whether Steven Avery is innocent or guilty,” Spalding says in the piece. “I have more of an opinion of whether I think there’s been planted evidence or not and ultimately that’s all this analysis will tell us is whether or not this evidence is planted.” Source: http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/local/steven-avery/2016/10/21/could-swedish-scientist-break-open-avery-case/92459398/ I … Read more
