10-6. «Расщепленные» предложения

 
1. Для того, чтобы сфокусировать внимание на той или иной части предложения, можно употреблять it-clause + be (Cleft sentence/It-cleft):

'Helen bought the car from Tom.' 'No, it was Tom that bought the car from Helen.'
He already plays for the national side, and it was only last year that he turned professional.
I don't mind her criticizing me, but it's how she does it that I object to.
It was to show her how much I cared for her that I bought her the necklace.

При этом следует обратить внимание, что that фактически заменяет в таких предложениях which и who, которые также можно употреблять. When и where на таких позициях можно употреблять вместо that в разговорной речи. Но how и why в таких предложениях не употребляются:

Karl was always there to help her, and it was to him that/who she now turned for support.
'Carol's seriously ill in hospital.' 'But it was only last Sunday when/that I was playing tennis with her.'
It was in Bristol where/that the film was made.
'Was it by cutting staff that he managed to save the firm?' 'No, it was by improving distribution that he made it profitable.' (не ... how he made it profitable.)

2. С такой же целью можно употреблять what-clause + be (Wh-clefts/Pseudo-clefts):

We gave them some home-made cake.
What we gave them was some home-made cake.

What I'd like you to work on is exercise two on page 38.
Tim arrived two hours late: what had happened was that his bicycle chain had broken.
'We've only got this small bookcase - will that do?' 'No, what I was looking for was something much bigger and stronger.'

Часто what-clause можно ставить и в начало и в конец предложения:

What upset me most was his rudeness.
His rudeness was what upset me most.

Чтобы сосредоточить внимание именно на действии, можно употреблять конструкцию what + subject + do + be + to-infinitive clause (it-clause так использовать нельзя):

Dave lost his job and was short of money, so what he did was (to) sell his flat and move in with his brother (не ...so it was (to) sell his flat that he did.)

(частица 'to' перед инфинитивом в такой конструкции может быть опущена)

■ Эта конструкция обычно может употребляться только с what-clauses, но вместо других wh-clauses (начинающихся с how, when, where, who, why) можно употреблять существительное со смыслом, схожим с соответствующим wh-словом ( reason вместо why, place вместо where и т.п.) и последующий that- или wh-clause. Например:

The only reason (why/that) I left the party early was that I was feeling unwell (лучше, чем ‘Why I left the party early was...’)
The place (where/that) you should play football is the playground, not the classroom (лучше, чем ‘Where you should play football is...’)
Somebody (who/that) I enjoy reading is Peter Carey (неверно: ‘Who I enjoy reading is...’)
The time (when/that) I work best is early morning (лучше, чем ‘When I work best is...’)