Level 3 — Intermediate · Cohesion & Reference in Writing
Task 25: Choosing What Comes First
Rewrite one sentence twice, each time putting a different piece of information in the spotlight — using a cleft structure or passive voice to control what the reader notices first.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this task, you should be able to:
- Rewrite a plain sentence using a cleft structure ('It was X that...') to put one piece of information in focus
- Rewrite the same sentence using passive voice to put a different piece of information first
- Explain in one sentence what each version emphasizes differently
Introduction
Lesson 25 taught you to notice what a sentence puts first, and why — the given information usually opens a sentence, and the new, important information usually lands at the end or gets pushed into the spotlight with a cleft structure. This task asks you to control that spotlight yourself, on purpose, rather than just noticing it in someone else's writing.
The Rule, for Writing
Core Concept
The same fact can be written with different information in focus. A cleft sentence — It was X that... — pulls one specific piece of information into the spotlight. Passive voice — X was done by Y — moves the receiver of an action to the front, pushing the doer toward the end or out entirely.
Example
Plain: The new manager introduced the policy in March.
Cleft, emphasizing who: It was the new manager who introduced the policy in March.
Passive, emphasizing what: The policy was introduced in March, before most staff had been briefed on the change.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Start from this plain sentence: A software bug delayed the shipment by three days. Write it twice: once as a cleft sentence that puts the spotlight on the bug as the cause, and once in passive voice that puts the spotlight on the shipment as what was affected.
Vocabulary in Context
emphasizeverbformal
to give special importance to one part of a sentence or idea (গুরুত্ব দেওয়া)
Often with emphasize the importance, strongly emphasize, emphasize that
“The memo emphasizes that the deadline cannot move.”
spotlightnounneutral
the part of a sentence that receives the reader's attention (মনোযোগের কেন্দ্র)
Often with in the spotlight, put the spotlight on, spotlight on
“Placing 'safety' at the start of the sentence puts the spotlight on it.”
Model Answer
Show a model answer
Cleft: It was a software bug that delayed the shipment by three days.
Passive: The shipment was delayed by three days after a software bug was discovered in the tracking system.
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Does your cleft sentence use "It was X that..." correctly, with X being the cause?
- Does your passive sentence put the shipment (the affected thing) at the front?
- Could you explain, in one sentence, what each version emphasizes differently?
Next: Writing 26 — Building an Argument in One Paragraph: stating a claim, backing it with a reason and evidence, and answering an obvious objection.