Using clefts and other structures to highlight information
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wh-cleft sentences | page 2 of 4 |
what-clauses as subject
The what-clause typically occurs as the subject 
of the wh-cleft sentence, since in this
way the climax (generally new information) can be postponed to the complement
:
What disturbs us is that abuse and attacks on the Press are taking the place of proper debate. (Bank of English)
Often the wh-cleft sentence contrasts with the sentence that precedes it, with really often added to emphasise the contrast:
Some improvement in functioning can be achieved in the short term by retraining the patient in both social and self-help skills. But what is really needed is tender loving care, which can sometimes be demanding and sad work for the carers involved. (Bank of English)
This paragraph deals with patients suffering from mental disorders. Two ways in which they may be helped are proposed. The first (retraining) is presented as the more routine method, beneficial in the short term. The second method (tender loving care), in contrast, is seen as more problematic, requiring a longer-term commitment from those who look after the patients. The use of the wh-cleft clause helps the author to highlight the importance of the latter.
In the following extract, the contrast is between what some people say and what they really mean. The use of the wh-cleft structure enables the writer to delay the punchline, like a comedian delivering a joke:
It's rather the fashion over here now amongst the musical snobs to look down their noses when Verdi is mentioned and talk about the "cheapness of his thematic material". What they really mean is that Verdi could write tunes and they can't. (from Letters to Children, by C.S. Lewis)
For one of the teaching implications related to wh-cleft sentences, see 
Using clefts and other structures to highlight information: Teaching
implications (p 3).
Introduction
what-clauses as subject
