Rule reminder

In spoken Italian, cleft sentences are extremely frequent and often show colloquial features: (1) 'essere' may not always agree with the focused element in casual speech. (2) Wh-words like 'dove', 'quando', 'come' can replace 'che' when the focused element matches (tolerated in speech, not writing). (3) The 'essere + a + infinitive' construction is very common. (4) Dislocations combined with clefts are common: 'È lui, Marco, che ha chiamato'. (5) Clefts are used for emotional emphasis, insistence, and complaint.