Using clefts and other structures to highlight information

wh-cleft sentences

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what-clauses as complement

Less commonly the what-clause occurs as the complement of the wh-cleft sentence.

This generally happens when the subject of the sentence has already been mentioned in the text:

A:	You won't change your major to Archaeology.
B:	I already have, Dad. Archaeology is what I want to do. (Bank of English)

or is predictable from the context:

Give the plant moist soil and it will grow like pampas grass, but never flower. Put it in sunny, stony, limey soil and it will have much less leaf but plenty of flower. A summer baking is what it needs. (Bank of English)

The what-clause commonly comes in complement position when this occurs as subject of the wh-cleft sentence, whether this refers backwards:

But just consider how much more confident you would feel if you knew that you and your neighbours were looking after each other's homes throughout the year. This is what Neighbourhood Watch means. (Bank of English)

or forwards:

This is what I will do. I will walk back to Kranenberg. I will telephone from there to Anna and explain. I will ask her to organize help.
(Bank of English)

For further information about using this, see Developing cohesion: Using this to point backwards.

Introduction
what-clauses as subject
what-clauses as complement
what-clauses with do