It Was the Coffee That Changed Everything
Cleft sentences — it-clefts and wh-clefts for emphasis. The journalist returns and gets Leo to articulate, in one phrase, what makes Café Colibri different: it's the people who come back.
📖 Reading: The Defining Moment
The Toronto Life journalist came back for a second interview. This time, she wanted to go deeper.
"What was the moment that changed everything for Café Colibri?" she asked.
"It was the power cut," said Leo immediately. "It was that night — the candles, the conversations — that showed me what the café could be."
"Not the award?"
"The award confirmed something. But it was the power cut that revealed it."
"What is it that makes this café different from others?" she asked.
"What makes it different," said Leo carefully, "is the people. Not the coffee. Not the design — though Maya's design is extraordinary. It's the people who come back."
"What was it that drew you to Toronto originally?"
"It was my grandmother's idea. She said: go somewhere that needs what you have. What I had was coffee. What Toronto had was people who needed to slow down."
"That's beautifully put."
"It was Jess who first said it was beautifully put," said Leo. "I've been quoting her ever since."
The journalist looked up from her notes. "What strikes me most," she said quietly, "is how many people seem to have made this place what it is."
"That," said Leo, "is exactly what I've been trying to tell you."
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| reveal | To make something known that was previously hidden | v. — The power cut revealed what the café could be. |
| confirm | To establish the truth of something already suspected | v. — The award confirmed it. |
| draw | To attract or pull someone towards something (past: drew) | v. — What drew you to Toronto? |
| extraordinary | Remarkably unusual or impressive | adj. — Maya's design is extraordinary. |
| discourse | A formal discussion or piece of writing on a topic | n. — Cleft sentences are a discourse device. |
| pseudo-cleft | A sentence beginning with a wh-word used for emphasis | n. — 'What I love is the atmosphere' — a pseudo-cleft. |
| element | A distinct part or feature of something | n. — Cleft sentences emphasise a specific element. |
| defining | The most important or characteristic part | adj. — That was the defining moment. |
📚 Key Verbs & Structures in This Lesson | |
It was + X + that/who + rest | It was the power cut that revealed everything. |
What + subject + verb + is/was + emphasis | What makes it different is the people. |
It is/was + emphasis + that + clause | It was Jess who first said that. |
What strikes me / surprises me is | What strikes me most is how many people contribute. |
📚 Grammar Focus
📚 It-Cleft — Form and Function | |
Structure | It + be + EMPHASIS + that/who + rest of sentence |
Example | It was the power cut that changed everything. |
Function | Emphasises a specific noun, time, place, or reason. |
Negative | It wasn't the award that made the difference. |
Question | Was it Leo who gave the speech? |
Wh-Cleft (Pseudo-Cleft) — Form and Function
📚 Wh-Cleft (Pseudo-Cleft) — Form and Function | |
Structure | What + subject + verb + is/was + EMPHASIS |
Example | What makes it different is the people. |
Function | Emphasises the predicate — the "new information" of the sentence. |
Variation | The thing that matters is... / All I wanted was... |
What vs. It Cleft — When to Use Which
📚 What vs. It Cleft — When to Use Which | |
It-cleft | Emphasises WHO or WHAT caused/did something: It was Leo who told me. |
Wh-cleft | Emphasises WHAT is important or surprising: What matters is honesty. |
Both possible | It was honesty that mattered. / What mattered was honesty. |
🎭 Dialogue: What Was It That Made You Start?
The journalist asks Leo to articulate his origin story. Every answer reaches for a cleft sentence — what shaped him, what he was trying to recreate, what 'a city of arrivals' really means.
What was it that first made you think about opening a café?
It was my grandmother. It was her kitchen that I was trying to recreate.
What do you mean?
What I mean is — she had this place where everyone came. It was warmth she offered, not food. I wanted that.
And was it Toronto that you always had in mind?
No. It was Jess who suggested Toronto. She said: it's a city of arrivals.
What does that mean to you now?
What it means is that everyone here came from somewhere. And that makes them open.
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What does Leo say was the moment that changed everything for the café?
What does Leo say makes the café different from others?
Why did Leo's grandmother send him to Toronto?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
It-cleft to emphasise the subject: 'Leo gave the speech at the ceremony.' (emphasise LEO)
It-cleft to emphasise the object: 'The power cut changed everything.' (emphasise CHANGED EVERYTHING)
It-cleft: 'Jess made the phone call that brought Maya here.' (emphasise JESS)
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model and extend it.
- Student A: Ask your partner 5 questions about what influenced them (to learn English, to choose their career, to move somewhere, to make a big decision).
- Student B: Answer each question using a cleft sentence (it-cleft or wh-cleft).
- Mix: use at least 3 it-clefts and 2 wh-clefts across your answers.
- Focus on making the emphasis feel natural, not forced.