GUIDE ENGLISH GRAMMAR BOOK

6 INFORMATION AND EMPHASIS PAGE 62
b
But sometimes the form emphasizes another part of the meaning rather than yes
or no.
We might go away for the weekend. We haven't decided definitely.
(It is possible, not certain.)
I did have a personal organizer, but I lost it.
(in the past, not now)
NOTE
We can stress an ordinary verb to emphasize its meaning.
I've borrowed your calculator. I haven't stolen it.
I wrote the letter. I didn't type it.
3 The pattern with it
a
b
In the conversation Music practice, Susan wants to emphasize the identity of the
person who told her about the practice.
It was you who told me.
The pattern is it + be + phrase + relative clause. The phrase that we want to
emphasize (you) comes after be.
Look at this statement about England's football team.
England won the World Cup in 1966.
We can emphasize the subject, object or adverbial.
Subject: It was England who won the World Cup in 1966.
Object: It was the World Cup (that) England won in 1966.
Adverbial: It was in 1966 (that) England won the World Cup.
We use who, which or that with the subject. With an object or adverbial we
normally use that. (For relative pronouns, • 273.)
We can include a phrase with not.
It was England, not Germany, who won the World Cup in 1966.
It was in 1966, not 1970, that it happened.
NOTE
We can sometimes also emphasize a prepositional object.
How do you like the choir? ~ It's the orchestra I'm in.
We can also emphasize a whole clause.
It was because they were playing in London that England had an advantage.
c
d
When a pronoun comes after be, it is usually in the object form.
It was me who told you, remember?
The phrase that we emphasize often relates to what has gone before.
The Sixties was the decade of the Beatles and Swinging London. And it was in
1966 that England won the World Cup.
4 The pattern with what
a
In the conversation Music practice, Susan wants to emphasize that Emma needs a
personal organizer (and not anything else).
What you need is a personal organizer.
We can emphasize the new information with a what-clause + be. The new
information comes after be.