cleft sentence
cleft sentence noun: a complex sentence expressible by a simple one, having a dependent clause in front of the main clause and, typically, stressing a particular constituent.
Noun
cleft sentence (plural cleft sentences)
- A complex sentence expressible by a simple one, having a dependent clause in front of the main clause and, typically, stressing a particular constituent.
- Quirk et al (1972) say about the cleft sentence that it is "...so called because it divides a single clause into two separate sections, each with its own verb".1978, Per-Kristian Halvorsen, The Syntax and Semantics of Cleft Constructions, Department of Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin, page 28
- Following Bolinger (1972, 1977) and Gundel (1977), I assume that the introductory it of cleft sentences is referential[…].1984, Ann Borkin, Problems in Form and Function, Ablex Publishing Corporation, page 120
Forms of cleft sentence
| plural | cleft sentences |
|---|
Origin of cleft sentence
A single clause is split into two separate clauses.
Questions about cleft sentence
- What does cleft sentence mean?
- Cleft sentence means a complex sentence expressible by a simple one, having a dependent clause in front of the main clause and, typically, stressing a particular constituent.
- What part of speech is cleft sentence?
- Cleft sentence is a noun.
- What is the plural of cleft sentence?
- The plural of cleft sentence is cleft sentences.
Words near cleft sentence in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cleft sentence (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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