1. All cleft: “only this, and nothing more”
In the frame All + clause + is/was, the word all opens the first part and means “the only thing that.” Everything the speaker really wants to say comes after the linking verb—that is, at the end of the sentence, where the listener hears it best.
Therefore, an All cleft is not simply a way to emphasize something; it is a way to narrow the meaning down to one thing, action, or request. A neutral sentence simply reports a fact, while an All frame adds “and nothing beyond this.”
That may follow all. If the clause has its own subject, that is usually omitted in conversation (All (that) we know is…). If that itself is the subject of the clause (All that matters is…), it cannot be omitted. The word what is not used here: all already contains the meaning “everything that.”
All + (that) + subject + verb + is/was + focus
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
All I need is a stable connection.
I need only a stable connection.
The focus is a stable connection; the meaning is narrowed to one need.
All that matters is that everyone gets home safely.
Only this matters: everyone gets home safely.
A whole that-clause can follow is.
All she wanted was a few minutes alone.
Everything she wanted was a few minutes alone.
Past tense: the linking verb is was, and the focus comes at the end.
2. What comes after is: verb form
After a frame with simple do/does/did, have to do, or could do, the action is usually named with the base form, with or without to: All he did was (to) wait. This is not a literal repetition of the past form did in the second part.
In this pattern, did/does does not require a past form or an -ing form after be. If the first part contains doing, the corresponding -ing form is natural: All he is doing is waiting for a call. In other frames, -ing can be the name of an activity, so do not forbid it without considering the structure.
The verb do cannot be omitted from the first part: without it, the group have to is incomplete. When an ordinary verb follows all (All I want is…), what follows may be a noun, an infinitive, or a clause with for and that.
All + subject + do/did/have to do/could do + is/was + (to) + base form
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- V1 / base form —
- The base verb without to: work, go, be.
All the chef does is taste the sauce.
The chef only tastes the sauce.
Does is in the first part; the base form taste follows is.
All you can do now is hope for the best.
Now you can only hope for the best.
Modal can + do, followed by the base form hope.
All he is doing is waiting for a call.
He is only waiting for a call.
The progressive in the first part gives an -ing form in the second part.
3. The thing that…: name the thing, then move the focus
The frame The thing (that) + clause + is/was + focus first names the topic: what surprised, annoys, is needed, or is missing. Only then, after the linking verb, comes the answer. The listener sees the question and the answer within one sentence.
In the clause after thing, use that or which. If the clause has its own subject, they are often omitted in conversation: The thing I miss most is the sea. If that or which itself is the subject of the clause, it is required. The word what is not used here: it already means the thing that. A pronoun that duplicates the subject is also unnecessary.
The focus can be a noun phrase, a to-infinitive, or a clause with that or how. The form of the focus depends on what is being placed at the end: a thing, an action, or a complete fact.
The thing (that/which) + clause + is/was + focus
- clause —
- A construction with a verb, often with its own subject: when I arrived. A non-finite clause may leave the subject unspoken: to get home.
The thing I miss most about home is the sea.
The thing I miss most when I am away from home is the sea.
Zero relative pronoun: that is omitted.
The thing that surprised the examiners was her neat handwriting.
What surprised the examiners was her neat handwriting.
The subject of the clause is that (it stands for the thing), so that cannot be omitted and the pronoun is not repeated.
The thing nobody told me was how tired I would be.
Nobody told me how tired I would be.
The focus can be a clause with how.
4. The reason…: cause and purpose
The frame The reason + clause + is/was has two typical continuations. If a complete fact follows the linking verb, it is introduced by that: The reason … is that …. If the purpose of an action is named, use to + verb: The reason … is to ….
Between reason and the following part, you can use why, that, or nothing: The reason why prices rose / The reason prices rose. After is, that is the usual form; is because is also common and grammatical, although some editorial styles prefer is that.
The linking verb agrees with the time: The reason I'm writing is to ask for a reference (present), The reason we left was that it got late (past).
The reason (why/that) + clause + is/was + that-clause | to + verb
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- clause —
- A construction with a verb, often with its own subject: when I arrived. A non-finite clause may leave the subject unspoken: to get home.
The reason the bridge is closed is that the cables need replacing.
The reason the bridge is closed is that the cables need replacing.
A complete fact with that follows is.
The reason I'm writing is to ask for a reference.
The reason I am writing is to ask for a reference.
The purpose is expressed with to + verb.
The reason why prices rose is that fuel became more expensive.
The reason why prices rose is that fuel became more expensive.
Why after reason is optional.
5. Other base words: person, place, time, way
The same idea works with other words. For a person, use The person who…; for a place, The place where…; for a time, The time when…; and for a manner, The way (that)…. The base word indicates which relative form is needed and what is in focus.
Frames with person, place, and time are needed less often than the thing and the reason: they name who, where, and when. It is useful to know them, but you do not need to practise them in every text.
The person who / The place where / The time when + clause + is/was + focus
- clause —
- A construction with a verb, often with its own subject: when I arrived. A non-finite clause may leave the subject unspoken: to get home.
The person who fixed the roof was a neighbour.
The person who fixed the roof was a neighbour.
Who refers to a person; the name or description is in focus.
The place where we first met was a busy railway station.
The place where we first met was a busy railway station.
Where refers to a place.
The time when I felt most nervous was just before the exam.
The time when I felt most nervous was just before the exam.
When refers to a time.
6. Which frame to choose: related clefts and an ordinary sentence
An It cleft (It was Mara who solved the puzzle) highlights one participant or circumstance; a What cleft (What I need is a break) highlights what is needed or what happened. These are separate cleft patterns; here, the important thing is simply to distinguish them from our pair.
If you need to say “only this,” choose All: All I need is a break. If you need to name a thing that surprised or annoys you, use the thing; for a reason, the reason; for a person, the person. If nothing needs emphasis, an ordinary sentence is better: a cleft used unnecessarily sounds strained.
It was Mara who solved the puzzle.
It was Mara who solved the puzzle.
The It cleft highlights the person who did it; All, thing, or reason is not needed here.
What I need is a break.
What I need is a break.
The What cleft names a need without narrowing it.
All I need is a break.
All I need is a break.
All adds the meaning “only.”
7. Rhythm, register, and moderation
All these frames postpone the main information until the end, so they work well in explanations, instructions, and presentations: the listener first hears the topic and then the answer. They are equally natural in writing and conversation, but in formal writing the All frame sounds somewhat more conversational.
Do not wrap every sentence in a cleft. One or two frames per paragraph highlight what is genuinely important, while a series of them turns the text into a repetitive pattern.
All you do is complain.
All you do is complain.
In conversation, the frame can sound critical, depending on the intonation.
The reason is that we ran out of time.
The reason is that we ran out of time.
A short form without a clause after reason is also possible.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:All you have to is send the invoice.
Correct:All you have to do is send the invoice.
In the first part of an All frame with have to, do is required: without it, the group is incomplete.
Incorrect:All she does is complaining about the weather.
Correct:All she does is complain about the weather.
After simple does, the second part uses the base form of the verb, not -ing.
Incorrect:All what we need is more time.
Correct:All we need is more time.
All already means “everything that,” so what is unnecessary (you can also say All that we need).
Incorrect:The thing what annoyed us was the delay.
Correct:The thing that annoyed us was the delay.
After thing, use that or which; what duplicates the meaning of the thing.
Incorrect:The reason we called is explain the change.
Correct:The reason we called is to explain the change.
A purpose named with a verb requires to after the linking verb.
Incorrect:The thing that it really annoys us is the queue.
Correct:The thing that really annoys us is the queue.
That is already the subject of the clause, so it is duplicated by it.