Monday, November 14, 2016

Noun Clauses

What are noun clauses?


A noun clause is a DEPENDENT CLAUSE (which will include its own subject and verb, and express an idea).
It  "is used as a subject of an object. In other words, a noun clause is used in the same ways as a noun."
(source: Azar (1989), Understanding and Using English Grammar, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall Regents, pg 263)

For practice finding noun clauses in sentences, let's try these practice exercises:

How are noun clauses used in sentences?

  • Here is an example of a noun clause utilized as the subject of a sentence: How she answered the question surprised me.
  • Here, we see a noun clause used as the direct object of a verb: I wonder whose house that is.
  • Here, the noun clause is used as the object of an adjective expression: It is obvious that they are tired.
  • As an object of a preposition, the noun clause would look like this: I do not agree with what they said.
  • Here, we can see a noun clause used as a predicate noun: His difficulty is that he cannot read.

For practice identifying how a noun clause is being used, try these exercises:


In what kinds of situations do we use noun clauses?

In addition to the examples above, we might also use noun clauses in the following ways:

For indirect reported speech:
  • I told him that we needed a new car.
  • For more information about and practice with indirect reported speech, please visit this earlier blog post.

After certain verbs: (such as ask, advise, beg, demand, forbid, insist, order, prefer, propose, require, recommend, request, suggest, urge)
  • She advised that we prepare a bit more extensively for our exams.
  • We need a special verb form when we do this! Check out this

(Verb list from source: Lane & Lange (1993), Writing Clearly, 3rd ed., Heinle Cengage Learning, p 141)

To talk about "mental activity" (with such verbs as believe, decide, know, learn, realize, remember, think, understand)
  • I believe that she has difficulty with noun clauses in her writing.

With "embedded questions":

How many kinds of noun clauses are there, and what do they begin with?


They might begin with a question word: (what, when, where, who, why, how, whom, whose, which)
  • I don't know why you are so stubborn.
They can begin with whether or if:
  • I don't know if she will join us.
  • I wonder whether we should wait for him.
They can begin with that:
  • I know that she is late for class.
  • It is obvious that she is tired. She is sleeping at her desk.

Where can I find more practice activities about noun clauses?