Casa · B2 Upper Intermediate · Lesson 5 of 20 · Step 1

Psychology & Behaviour

Cleft Sentences

Form and use it-cleft sentences for emphasis (It was X that...)
Form and use wh-cleft sentences (What I need is..., The reason why...)
Discuss psychological concepts and human behaviour using emphasis structures

Words · tap a card to see it used

Grammar

Cleft sentences for emphasis

Cleft sentences restructure a simple sentence to emphasise a particular element. It-clefts: 'It was/is + emphasised element + that/who + rest of sentence' — e.g., 'It was the lack of sleep that caused the error.' Wh-clefts: 'What + subject + verb + is/was + emphasised element' — e.g., 'What surprised me was her calmness.' Other wh-cleft patterns: 'The reason why... is that...', 'The thing that... is...', 'The person who... was...'

It was the social pressure that made him conform, not his own belief.

What researchers discovered was that memory is far less reliable than we assume.

The reason why people procrastinate is that they fear failure more than inaction.

It is empathy, not intelligence, that makes someone a great leader.

Exercises · type, then check

1. Rewrite the underlined information as a cleft sentence for emphasis.

1. the environment, not genetics, shaped his personality. (It-cleft)

2. fascinated the researchers the speed of the response. (Wh-cleft)

3. she needs more time to process her emotions. (Wh-cleft)

4. confirmation bias leads people to ignore contradictory evidence. (It-cleft)

5. people struggle with change that uncertainty triggers anxiety. (The reason why... is that...)

2. Choose the correct cleft sentence that emphasises the underlined word.

1. FEAR motivates people to avoid risk. →

2. The results SURPRISED the entire research team. →

3. She changed her behaviour because of PEER PRESSURE. →

0 of 8 answered · nothing you type leaves this device

Reading

The Power of Cognitive Bias

What makes cognitive biases so dangerous is that they operate below the level of conscious awareness. It is not ignorance that leads intelligent people to make poor decisions — it is the systematic errors built into human cognition. One of the most well-documented biases is the anchoring effect: when people are exposed to an initial piece of information, their subsequent judgements are disproportionately influenced by it. For instance, if a negotiator opens with an extreme offer, the final agreement tends to gravitate toward that anchor. The reason why this matters beyond the laboratory is that cognitive biases affect everything from medical diagnoses to financial markets. What researchers have found is that simply being aware of a bias does not eliminate it. The thing that helps most is implementing structured decision-making processes — checklists, second opinions, and deliberate pauses — that counteract our automatic thinking patterns.

1. What is the anchoring effect, according to the passage?

2. According to the passage, what helps counteract cognitive biases?

Speaking · say it out loud, with a partner or alone

1Discuss: 'It is society, not the individual, that is responsible for most behavioural problems.' Do you agree? Use cleft sentences to emphasise key points in your argument.

2Tell your partner about a time when your perception of something turned out to be wrong. What was it that misled you? What did you learn? Use at least two cleft structures.

Writing

Write 5–8 sentences about a psychological concept that interests you (e.g., conformity, motivation, memory). Use at least three cleft sentences to emphasise key ideas.

0 words

Finished?

Check your exercises first, then mark the lesson done.