What is a cleft sentence?
A cleft sentence takes a single idea and splits it into two clauses so that one element is thrown into sharp focus. (Cleft simply means “divided.”) Compare the flat statement The redesigned fuel system makes the route possible with the version a journalist might actually write: It is the redesigned fuel system that makes the route possible. The facts are identical; the second sentence just decides what you notice first.
Writers reach for clefts to emphasise a key fact, to draw a contrast, or to correct a wrong assumption. English has two main patterns.
It-clefts and wh-clefts
- It-cleft: It + be + [the emphasised element] + that/who clause. — It was MSN 707 that made the maiden flight from Toulouse.
- Wh-cleft (pseudo-cleft): What + clause + be + [the emphasised element]. — What surprised analysts was the low seat count.
The it-cleft spotlights a single noun or phrase; the wh-cleft is better when you want to build up to the point and land the emphasis at the very end of the sentence.
Read: Qantas and Project Sunrise
On 2 June 2026, the first Airbus A350-1000ULR built for Project Sunrise took off from Toulouse on its maiden flight. The redesigned fuel system, built around a Rear Centre Tank, adds some 20,000 litres of capacity — enough to keep the jet aloft for the better part of a day. Once in service, Qantas intends to fly non-stop from Sydney to both London and New York, on sectors of roughly 22 hours.
The details above are condensed from this week’s report on the ultra-long-haul programme.
Comprehension questions
- Which single modification makes the Project Sunrise routes possible?
- How many of these aircraft has Qantas ordered, and when does it expect the first?
- Why has Qantas chosen to fit far fewer seats than a standard A350-1000?
Grammar focus: clefts in the report
The original article uses both patterns. Notice how each one steers your attention:
- It-cleft: “It is that extra fuel, more than any single advance in aerodynamics, that will allow the jet to remain aloft…” — the emphasis falls squarely on the extra fuel.
- Wh-cleft: “What is no longer in doubt, after the events in Toulouse, is that the aircraft… now exists and is airborne.” — the structure delays, then delivers, the key point.
Now reshape these flat sentences for emphasis — an it-cleft for the first, a wh-cleft for the second.
- The Rear Centre Tank gives the jet its enormous range. (it-cleft, emphasising the tank)
- Qantas wants passenger comfort above all else. (wh-cleft)
CEFR Level C1 / ICAO Level 6
Clefts reshape a sentence to stress what matters; participle clauses reshape it for economy. See how a long clause collapses into a few words in Structure: ’Participle clauses’.