cleft sentence

CGEL(p.1387)的说法是:“Although whose is allowed in cleft sentences... whom and which are only marginally possible...”(“尽管 whose 可用于分裂句……但是 whom 和 which 只是勉强可用。”)因此,我们在 CGEL 中没有查到 which 用于强调句的实例。但是,在其他著作中,尤其是在科技英语著作中有时还是能读到这类句子。另外,最近出版的 OEGG 也明确指出 which 可用于强调句中:

1. It was a key which I found in his pocket. 我在他的衣袋里找到的是一把钥匙。

2. It is heat which makes matter expand and melt. 正是热使物质膨胀和熔化。

3. It is the release of nuclear energy within the Sun which enables it to send out so much energy to the Earth. 正是太阳内部释放出来的核能使太阳能对地球发射出如此多的能量。

4. . . it is the theatre at Oxford and not at Cambridge which is on the verge of extinction... (NCE, 4, L. 13) ……是牛津的讲坛而不是剑桥的讲坛正濒于消亡……

当 which 之前有介词时,实际上不能用于分裂句:

It was the dog to which I gave the water. (CGEL)

上面的句子只能看作是含有定语从句的句子。

应当明确,在强调句(分裂句)中,当被强调的成分是时间状语或地点状语时,其关系副词仍使用 that,而不使用 when 或 where。例如:

1. It was the last week that John bought an old car. (CGE) 约翰是在上星期买了一辆旧汽车(约翰买了一辆旧汽车,那是上星期的事儿)。

2. It was only on Thursdays that he visited her. (CGEL) 他仅仅在星期四去拜访她。

3. It was in Rome that we met. (PEG) 我们是在罗马相遇的。

这是各类标准化英语试题常常考核的一个项目：

1. It was between 1830 and 1835 ____ the modern newspaper was born. A. when B. that C. which D. because (TOEFL)

2. It was not ____ she took off her dark glasses ____ I realized she was a famous film star. A. when; that B. until; that C. until; when D. when; then (全国高考, 92-30)

3. It was not until 1920 ____ regular radio broadcasts began. A. while B. which C. that D. since(全国高考,95-33)

4. It ____ we had stayed together for a couple of weeks ____ I found we had a lot in common. A. was until; when B. was until; that C. wasn't until; when D. wasn't until; that(全国高考浙江卷,07-10)

5. It was along the Mississippi River ____ Mark Twain spent much of his childhood.

A. how B. which C. that D. where(全国高考天津卷,08-8)

我们有理由说《高中英语教科书》中的那个练习题使用 when 是不规范的。

上面两个句子分别属于不同的句型。句(A)是含有主语从句(that 从句)的句子,句(B)则是强调句(分裂句)。它们之间的区别是:1. 在强调句中去掉 it is(was)...that 之后,句子仍然是完整的,而带主语从句的句子则不是这样;2. 在含主语从句的句子里,it is(was)可以换成其他时态(it has been 等),而在强调句中,it 之后只能是 is 或 was 或情态动词 + be。

cleft sentence $^{4}$ (强调句与定语从句的区别)

句(A)是个含定语从句的句子。在这里it是指示代词；it is(was) a question 是个主语-系词-表语结构。如果去掉it is (was)...that，句子结构就不完整了。而句(B)是个强调句型。在这里it是个引词，没有具体含义。如果去掉it is(was)...that，则语序稍加调整，句子结构仍是完整的。此外，带定语从句的句子与强调句还有以下区别：

A. 在定语从句中一般使用 that、零关系代词、wh-形式(who, whom, whose, when, where 等)，而在强调句中则主要是使用 that, who 或零关系代词，而较少使用 wh-形式(尤其是 whom, when, where)(参见 that/when)。

B. 在定语从句中, 先行词(中心词)一般是名词或名词短语, 而在强调句中, 可以用副词、介词短语或从句来作先行词:

1. It was yesterday that he met your father. 他是昨天看到你父亲的。

2. It was not until two decades ago that transistors began to replace electron tubes on a large scale. 直到二十年前，晶体管才开始大规模地代替电子管。

3. It was because he was ill (that) we decided to return. 正是因为他病了我们才决定回去的。C. 在定语从句中充当主语的关系代词 that, who, which 是不可以省略的，而在强调句中却是可以省略的。当然这种省略常常是非正式语体用法：

It was the President himself spoke to me. (AEG) 是总统亲自和我谈了话。

准确说法应当是:在强调句中主句的动词形式通常是一般现在时(is)或一般过去时(was),但是并不能排斥带情态动词的形式:

1. It would have been at that time he went to live in Wisconsin. 很可能就是在这个时候他去了威斯康星州住了下来。

2. It may be my book that he is reading. 他正在读的可能就是我的书。

3. It must have been the manager that spoke to you. (CGEL) 刚才跟你谈话的一定是经理。请做下面的英语试题：

Could it be in the room ____ we had a talk last night ____ you left your keys? A. that; where B. in which; where

cleft sentence $^{6}$ 296 C. where; that D. where; where

事实上,在强调句中也可以用 it 以外的代词(he, that, those 等)来作主句的主语(多用在口语体中):

1. He was a real genius that invented this. (CGEL) 发明这个东西的正是他这个真正的天才。

2. Those are my feet that you're stepping on. 你踩的正是我的脚。

强调句不仅可以采用肯定句形式,也可以采用疑问句、感叹句或从属分句的形式:

1. What was it that made you so happy? 使你这么高兴的到底是什么？

2. Who was it who interviewed you? (CGEL) 接见你的是谁呀?

3. He told me that it was because he was ill that they decided to return. 他告诉我正是因为他患病了他们才决定回来的。

4. 'Why is it that men simply cannot let the Grail rest?' She laughed, obviously enjoying herself. 'Why do you think it's here?' (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) “为什么人们就不能放圣杯一马呢?”她笑出声来，显然被自己逗乐了。“你凭什么认为圣杯是在这里呢？”(《达·芬奇密码》)

这是一个省略了关系副词 that 的强调句。要知道,非正式语体中,在强调句中不仅可以省略充当宾语的关系代词,而且也可以省略充当主语的关系代词或充当状语的关系副词: It was the dance (that) John wore a white suit at last night. (CGEL) 约翰是在昨晚的舞会上穿着一套白礼服。

强调句能够强调除谓语以外的许多句子成分。

She met your brother in New York yesterday. 这个句子可以改写成强调句：

1. It was she who met your brother in New York yesterday. 昨天在纽约遇见你兄弟的是她。(强调主语——使主语成为信息焦点)

2. It was your brother who(m) she met in New York yesterday. 她昨天在纽约遇见的是你的兄弟。(强调宾语——使宾语成为信息焦点)

3. It was in New York that she met your brother yesterday. 她昨天是在纽约遇见了你的兄弟。(强调地点状语——使地点状语成为信息焦点)

4. It was yesterday that she met your brother in New York. 她是昨天在纽约遇见你兄弟的。(强调时间状语——使时间状语成为信息焦点)

强调句还可以强调宾语补足语和介词宾语：

1. It's dark green that we've painted the kitchen. (CGEL) 我们把厨房漆成了深绿色。

2. It's me he gave the book to. 他把那本书给了我。

正式用法是：It is I who am to blame. It is you who are to blame. 非正式用法是：It is me who/that is to blame. It is you who/that is to blame.

附加疑问句是针对主句提出的，故附加疑问句的主语用it，助动词用is(was)(参见tag

questions $^{1,2}$ ):

It was at this shop that you bought the watch, wasn't it? 你就是在这家商店买的手表，是不是？