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NOUN CLAUSE

INTRODUCTION
(a). Ryan goes to college.
(b). Where does Ryan go?

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. An


independent clause (or main clause) is a complete sentence. It
contains the main subject and verb of a sentence. Examples (a) and
(b) are complete sentences. (a) is a statement, and (b) is a question.
(c). Where Ryan goes
A dependent clause (or subordinate clause) is not a complete
sentence. It must be connected to an independent clause. Example
(c) is a dependent clause.
(d). I know where Ryan Example (d) is a complete sentence. It has an independent clause
goes.
with the main subject (I) and verb (know) of the sentence. Where
Ryan goes is a dependent clause connected to INdependent clause .
where Ryan goes is called a noun clause.
(e). His speech was amazing. Both a noun phrase and a noun clause are used as a subject or an
(f). What he said was object. In other word, a noun clause is used in the same ways as a
amazing.
noun phrase. In (e) his speech is a noun phrase used as a subject of
the sentence. In (f) what he said is a noun clause used as the subject
of the sentence. It has its own subject (he) and verb (said).
(g). I heard his story.
In (g) his story is a noun phrase used as the object of the verb heard.
(h). I heard what he said.
In (h) what he said is a noun clause used as the object of the verb
heard
(i). I listen to his story.
In (i): his story is a noun phrase used as object of preposition to.
(j). I listen to what he said.
In (j): what he said is a noun clause used as the object of preposition
to.

NOUN CLAUSE BEGINNING WITH A QUESTION WORD


Question:
Noun clause:
What does she do?
(a). I dont care what she does.
How did she go?
(b). I dont know how she went.
Where do they work?
(c). Do you know where they
work?

Who invented lamp?


What happened?
Who is the new director?
who is she?
who are those people?
whose laptop is that?

What did she write?


Where should we go?

In (a): what she does is the


object of the verb care. In a
noun clause , the subject
precedes the verb. Do not use
question word order in a noun
clause, such as: does, did, do,
etc.
(d). I know who invented lamp. In (d) the word order is the
(e). Tell me what happened.
same in both the question and
(f). I wonder who is the new the noun clause because who is
director.
the subject in both.
(g). I dont know who she is.
In (g): she is the subject of the
(h). I know who those people question, so it is placed in front
are.
of the verb be in the noun
(i). I wonder whose laptop that clause.
is.
(j). What she wrote surprised In (j): what she wrote is the
me.
subject of the sentence.
(k). Where we should go is In (k): a noun clause subject
obvious.
takes a singular verb (e.g. is)

Recommended exercise: Understanding and Using English Grammar; Betty Azhar: p. 241 - 245

YES/NO QUESTION
Will she come?
does she need help?

Exercise p. 246 247

NOUN CLAUSE BEGINNING WITH WHETHER OR IF


NOUN CLAUSE
When a yes/no question is
(a). Im not sure whether she will come. changed to a noun clause,
(b). I wonder if she needs help.
whether of if is used to introduce
the clause. Remember, whether is
more acceptable in formal English,
but if is quite commonly used in
speaking.
(c). I wonder whether or not she will
In (c), (d) and (e): notice the
come.
pattern when or not is used.
(d). I wonder whether she will come or
not.
(e). I wonder if she will come or not.
(f). Whether she comes or not is
In (f): notice that the noun clause
unimportant to me.
is in the subject position.

QUESTION WORDS FOLLOWED BY INFINITIVES


(a). I dont know where I should go.
Question words (when, where, how, who,
(b). I dont know where to go.
whom, whose, what, which) and whether may
(c). Rachel cant decide whether she should go or be followed by an infinitive.
stay home.
Each pair of the sentences in the examples has
(d). rachel cant decide whether to go or (to) stay the same meaning.
home.
(e). Please tell me how I can get to the station.
(f). Please tell me how to get to the stastion.
(g). Al told me where we could buy good batiks.
(h). Al told me where to buy good batiks.
Exercise p. 247 248

NOUN CLAUSE BEGINNING WITH THAT


STATEMENT:
NOUN CLAUSE:
In (a): that Mr. Abdullah is a good
Mr. Abdullah is a good lecturer (a). I think that Mr. Abdullah lecturer is a noun clause serving as
The sun rises in the east
is a good lecturer.
the object of the verb think.
(b). I think Mr. Abdullah is a
The word that, when it introduces
good lecturer.
a noun clause, has no meaning in
(c). We know (that) the sun
itself. It simply marks the
rises in the east.
beginning of the clause.
Frequently it is omitted, as in (b),
especially in speaking.
She doesnt understand spoken (d). That she doesnt
In (d): the noun clause (that she
English
understand spoken English is doesnt understand spoken
obvious.
English) is the subject of the
The world is round
(e). It is obvious (that) she
sentence. The word that is not
doesnt understand spoken
omitted when it introduces a noun
English.
clause used as the subject as in (d)
and (f).
(f). That the world is round is More commonly, the word it
a fact.
functions as the subject and the
(g). It is a fact (that)the
noun clause is placed at the end of
world is round.
the sentence, as in (e) and (g).
Exercise p. 249 251

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