Sentence pattern · Band 2
是……的: spotlighting when, where, how
是 + 时间/地点/方式 + 动词 + 的
是 at the front and 的 at the back spotlight the details of a finished action: it was at school that I studied, it was by train that we came. The deed itself is old news; the frame only lights the when, the where, or the how. Questions swap a question word into the lit spot: where was it that you learned it?
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
The 的 closes the spotlight frame; without it the line is plain news with no spotlight on the where.
The lit detail rides between 是 and the verb; the place never trails the action English style.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 是……的 mean?
是 at the front and 的 at the back spotlight the details of a finished action: it was at school that I studied, it was by train that we came. The deed itself is old news; the frame only lights the when, the where, or the how. Questions swap a question word into the lit spot: where was it that you learned it?
How do you build it?
是 + 时间/地点/方式 + 动词 + 的
What is the most common mistake?
我是在学校学汉语。 → 我是在学校学汉语的。
The 的 closes the spotlight frame; without it the line is plain news with no spotlight on the where.
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