Noun Clauses

NOUN CLAUSES
INTRODUCTION

Clauses are a word group that contains a verb and its subject; its also used as a
sentence or as part of a sentence. Not all are complete thoughts. There are two kinds of
clauses: independent and dependent.

Independent Clauses
An independent clause is a main clause and expresses a complete thought. It is a
sentence.
Mary is a student.

A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be part of an independent clause.

I know where your book is.

Subordinate Clauses
Does not express a complete thought and cant stand alone as a sentence.
Whom we spoke to yesterday

Adjective Clause
A subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun.
I am now reading this book, which is a historical novel about the Irish revolt of
1798.

Adverb Clause
Tells how, when, where, why, to what extent, or under what circumstances
Donna sounds as if she has caught a cold.
Noun Clause
A subordinate clause that is used as a noun (can be used as a Sub., P.N., D.O., I.O,
or O.P.)
She believes that lost time is never found again.

NOUN CLAUSES

Noun clauses as the name implies, function as nouns. That is, they are word
groups with their own subject and verb that in turn function as a subject, object, or complement
in a sentence. Noun clauses also function sometimes as nouns of direct address or as appositives.
Whatever you ask is going to be too much. (Whatever you ask is a noun clause and the
subject of the sentence.)
We expect that the rain will stop soon. (that the rain will stop soon is the object of the verb
hope.)
This is what I was waiting for. (what I was waiting for is the complement.)
She spends money for whatever she wants. (whatever she wants is the object of the
preposition.)
Whoever you are, come out of there. (Whoever you are is a noun of direct address.)
I dont want it, whatever it is. (whatever it is is an appositive.)
I will give whoever writes the best essay an A in the course. (whoever writes the best essay
is the indirect object.)

Noun clauses begin with that, what, when, who, whom,

which, whose, how, why, whether, where, etc.
1. He said that he would not come.
2. We were all curious to know what he had done.
3. Nobody knows when the registration will begin.
4. We all wanted to find out who the winner was.
5. Whom they were in contact with on the day of the robbery is of great interest to the police.
6. Jane is not sure which university she should apply for.
7. The judges had a hard time deciding whose painting was the best.

8. How the baby fell from the window is a mystery.

9. They asked the boy why he had hit his classmate.
10. Whether you like it or not is not the issue.

Performances of a noun clause:

As a subject What Billy did shocked his friends.
As an object Billys friends didnt know that he couldnt swim.
After a preposition Mary is not responsible for what Billy did.
As a subject complement Billys mistake was that he refused to take lessons.

As an adjective complement Everybody is sad that Billy drowned.

Functions of a noun clauses:

Subject of the sentence
That he had even asked her made her angry.
Direct Object
Nobody knows how he got involved in such activities.
Indirect Object
I will inform who took the last exam of the score next week.

Subject Complement
The insult was that he had even asked her.
Object of a Preposition
She found fault in what he had asked her.
Object Complement
You can call him what you wish.
Appositive to the Subject
We that are older understand life better that children.
Appositive to the Object
I hate those that oppose me.

Uses of Noun Clauses:

After some verbs and adjectives
To include a question in a statement (embedded questions)
To report what someone has said or asked

Noun clauses can follow certain verbs and adjectives

that express mental activities:

Agree

notice

afraid

positive

Believe

realize

angry

sorry

Decide

remember

aware

surprised

Doubt

see

certain

sure

Feel

show

clear

worried

Forget

suppose

convinced

glad

Guess

think

disappointed

understand

Hope

wonder

happy

hear

Imagine

say

pleased

sad

Know

tell

To include a question in a statement

I dont know what time it is.
I wonder how he found out.

To report what someone has said or asked

He said that he would return.
He asked me what I wanted.

There are three types of Noun Clauses:

1. Noun clauses with that
2. Noun clauses with WH-word
3. Noun clauses with if and whether

Noun clauses with THAT

-can be used with all verbs mentioned except wonder.
I think that this book will be interesting.
-The word that can often be omitted. However it cannot be omitted if it is in the subject position

Noun clauses with Wh-words

-They have statement word order, even when they occur within questions
Wh + subject + verb

I dont know what he is doing.

I wonder how he feels today.
Where I put my book is a mystery.

In conversation, noun clauses can be replaced by so after:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

think
hope
believe
suppose
expect
know

Noun clauses with If/whether

-are often followed by or not.
-they are often used in statements that express uncertainty.

Noun clauses after verbs that show importance or urgency:

advise

forbid

recommend

ask

insist

require

beg

order

suggest

urge

request

demand

Some expressions that show importance or urgency:

It is advisable
It is essential
It is imperative
It is important
It is necessary
It is urgent

After verbs that show importance or urgency, the base form is

used.
Use the subject pronoun before a base form.
For negatives, put not before the base form.

Subordinators in Noun Clauses

A noun clause is formed with subordinator + subject + verb (+ rest of clause). Noun
clauses usually begin with words called subordinating conjunctions or subordinators.

How

how soon

whenever

who

however

if

how

whoever

how long

(The fact) that

wherever

whom

how

which

how

long
where
many
whomever

why

how many

what

whatever

how often

when

whichever

whether (or not)

much
whose

A noun clause can serve these functions in a sentence:

Subject:

(The fact) that secondhand smoke, like active smoking, can cause serious health problems has
been shown by several studies.
That she refused the money showed her sense of pride.
How the 2010 Olympics will impact Vancouvers homeless is a serious issue.

Subject Complement:
Johns mistake was that he refused to take his friends advice.
The problem was that he lost all his money playing poker.
The question is whether or not the Canucks will continue to attract fans.

Adjective Complement:
We are all afraid (that) the final exam will be difficult.
I'm sorry (that) I'm late.
I'm not sure whether we can still go.

Noun Complement:
The news that he was expelled for plagiarism surprised us all.

Direct Object
Verbs that permit or require tensed thatcomplements as direct objects:
Believe

claim

find
point out

expect

know

assume

discover

explain

find out imagine

learn

perceive

prove

see

promise

think

understand

show

In 1978 scientists discovered (that) the planet Pluto has a satellite.

The dealer promised (that) I would receive a $500 rebate.
He didn't know how he should answer.
He asked her about whether he should go.

Object of a Preposition:
How do you feel about the fact that SFU will close for two weeks during the Olympics?
Microeconomics is concerned with how wheat prices rise while cotton prices fall.
Scholars disagree over who really wrote some of Shakespeares sonnets.

Noun Clause:
He told me that I should drive. (command)
He asked me if I would help. (request for action)
I'm not sure how I can help. (modal)
How society should distribute scarce goods is a central economic problem in any society.
(question)

Infinitive Phrase:
He told me to drive.
He asked me to help.
Im not sure how to help.
How to distribute scarce goods is central economic problem in any society.

CONCLUSION
A noun clause is a subordinate clause that functions as a noun. A noun clause
can be a subject, a predicate nominative, a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a
preposition. It can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.
Noun clause must have a subject and a verb. The relative pronouns who,
whose, whom, and that introduce noun clauses. Whoever, Whomever, What, and Whatever
also introduce noun clauses.
The noun clause will functions as:

Subject
Direct Object
Indirect Object
Predicate Nominative
Object of the Preposition

Which coat to choose is Mohammads dilemma? (subject)

Give what you can to this worthy cause. (direct object)

Please send whoever is interested this questionnaire. (indirect object)

The issue is how long should we wait. (predicate nominative)

Please help yourself to whatever you need. (object of preposition)