Which sentence correctly uses a cleft sentence structure with preparatory 'it' for focal emphasis?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. It was the lead researcher who discovered the anomaly in the dataset.
- Step 1: An 'it'-cleft sentence follows: 'It + be (singular) + focal element + relative pronoun (who/that) + clause'.
- Step 2: Singular past 'was' agrees with dummy 'it'.
- Step 3: 'Who' acts as subject of the relative clause 'discovered the anomaly'.
Answer
It was the lead researcher who discovered the anomaly in the dataset.
Why not the others: 'were' violates agreement with 'it'; 'that was... which' misuses non-human 'which' for a person; 'whom' is an object pronoun used incorrectly in subject position.
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