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It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before.

I think this is an it-cleft. Am I right?

If so, what's the cleft clause? Is it

that I do now

or

that I do now than I have ever done before

JK2
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  • The cleft clause must contain a copula, so the prime suspect would be "It is a far better thing that I do now ..." – Robusto Jan 04 '19 at 15:11

1 Answers1

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You are right. A cleft sentence is a complex sentence that could be expressed in a simpler form with a little rearrangement, so I will interpret your question as asking what part of the sentence would be integral to making the sentence simpler in construction.

The former is the more likely candidate. Think about how you would rearrange the sentence. Here's one possibility:

I do a far better thing now than I have ever done before.

Note that the vital part of the rearrangement is I do. Now, as an adverb, works in a few positions syntax-wise. I don't need to do anything with the comparative clause, or the clause initiated by "than."

What happens when I try to force the rearrangement around the latter option?

I now do than I have ever done before a far better thing.

To me, that sounds like nails on chalkboard. The clause initiated with than works when it follows the thing being compared. In this example, it has to be the second item in a comparison in order to make sense. Because moving it doesn't work to simplify the structure of the sentence (and indeed breaks the comparative clause), it's not part of the it-cleft.

So the minimal it-cleft sentence is

It is a far better thing that I do now.

and the comparative clause clarifies what it is far better than.

TaliesinMerlin
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