...是...的 (cleft-like frame) highlights identified information such as agent, time, place, or manner in relation to an event.
Information focus - marks what exactly is being identified/emphasized
Event anchoring - often used with completed or known events
Contrastive clarification - useful for correction and precision
See examples below for varied real-world usage.
Do not confuse with simple 是 sentence
- This pattern focuses a constituent inside event framing.
Context often presupposes event truth
- Focus is on details, not event existence.
Word order affects focus target
- Placement of focused element is crucial.
This book is the one that I bought.
It was him who proposed the meeting yesterday.
This is something that I did not know.
That shop is one that a friend recommended.
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