Definition
A pseudo-cleft sentence is a kind of cleft sentence in which the subordinated clause is a relative clause headed by an interrogative pro-form. In English they are of the form:
- wh-relative clause + be + X
X can be a constituent of one of many varieties.
The so-called 'inverted' pseudo-cleft sentence reverses the order of the two constituents:
- X + be + wh-relative clause
Examples
| Pseudo-cleft | Inverted pseudo-cleft |
| What John gave to Mary were flowers | Flowers were what John gave to Mary. |
Sources 7
- Crystal 1980, 63
- Levinson 1983, 182–183
- Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985, 1383–1384
- Sornicola 1988, 343–344
- Bromser 1984, 327
- Jespersen 1949, 147–148
- Delahunty 1984, 74–88