Noun clauses are a type of subordinate clause that function as nouns in a sentence. They typically begin with words such as "that," "what," "who," "whom," "whose," "which," or "where." Noun clauses often follow verbs that indicate thinking, believing, knowing, or understanding, such as "think," "believe," "know," or "understand."
For example, consider the sentence "I know what you mean." In this sentence, the noun clause "what you mean" functions as the object of the verb "know." Similarly, in the sentence "I believe that he is telling the truth," the noun clause "that he is telling the truth" functions as the object of the verb "believe."
Noun clauses can also act as the subject of a sentence. For example, in the sentence "What he said made me angry," the noun clause "what he said" is the subject of the sentence.
In addition to acting as the subject or object of a verb, noun clauses can also function as the object of a preposition. For example, in the sentence "I'm not sure about what he said," the noun clause "what he said" is the object of the preposition "about."
It is important to note that noun clauses cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. They must be connected to an independent clause to form a complete sentence. For example, the noun clause "that he is telling the truth" cannot stand alone, but when connected to an independent clause such as "I believe," it becomes a complete sentence: "I believe that he is telling the truth."
Overall, noun clauses serve an important role in constructing complex sentences and adding depth and detail to our communication. They allow us to convey information about what we think, believe, know, or understand, and provide important context for understanding the meaning of a sentence.
How to Identify Noun Clauses
Adjective complement A noun clause can also function as an adjective complement, to modify a verb, adjective, or adverb. The decidedly less-festive noun clause is a group of words that adds more information to a sentence. Indirect object A nouns clause is used as an indirect object to show to who or for whom a verb is performed. The underlined clause in the sentence above begins with the interrogative pronoun, what , making it a true noun clause that is acting as the direct object of the verb, know. Clue 2: The following subordinating conjunctions often start noun clauses: that, how, why, who, whoever, whether, when, which, or where. In the above-mentioned sentences, the noun clause acts as the direct object of a verb. The download at the end will give you additional practice using noun clauses.
The underlined clause is an adverbial clause because it answers when the verb takes place. Noun clauses can be tricky to spot because they can appear almost anywhere in a sentence. The section with a subject and verb in a sentence is the clause, while the rest of it without those two parts of speeches is the phrase. This means they have a subject and a verb, but they do not express a complete idea by themselves. These noun clauses complement an adjective or adverb, and usually follow them as well. First Rule — A noun clause must acts as a dependent clause. Something is the direct object of the sentence.
In the sentence above, the underlined noun clause acts as a single subject of the independent clause. For specific standards on the different types of clauses including noun clauses, check out the Common Core State Standards website. It is the most commonly preferred. What Is a Noun Clause? Get even clearer with a guide to the grammar rules you need to follow, as well as the ones you can actually break. How to Identify a Noun Clause A few identifiers will help you locate a noun clause in a sentence. What you said is not clear. Use that to introduce a noun clause that is a statement.
Notice that inside the noun clause who serves as the grammatical subject of the verb caused. Lastly, noun clauses are dependent clauses that can replace any noun in the sentence. Look at this sentence: The problem is something. In each example, you can identify the sentence that contains a noun clause in italics. They follow linking verbs to describe or modify the subject of the sentence.
What is a Noun Clause? Definition, Examples of Nominal Clauses in English
The same is true for noun clauses and noun phrases. A noun is a word that refers to an object or thing. She holds professional certificates in Elementary Education, 6-12 English, K-12 Reading, and ESOL. Firstly, they're more common, but, secondly, most grammarians agree that "whom" and "whomever" are on their last legs in English. Similar to the prepositions, each of these sentences could be complete before the conjunctions why, where and that.
Noun Clauses: Definition, Functions and Example Sentences
Besides, in each of these examples, these adjective complements are noun clauses. From a grammatical perspective, it is perfectly acceptable to use a noun clause starting with "That" as the subject of a sentence. These rules help us arrange and know which form of words to use correctly. Noun clause sounds like the grammar-loving, word-nerd brother of Santa Claus. For example, in the last sentence, you can replace the entire noun clause Whether Roman accepts the job or not with the pronoun it. In these cases, it usually comes right before the verb. The underlined clause is a noun clause that begins with an expletive and acts as the subject complement of the linking verb, am.
Though, these sentences are not very interesting and comprehensive than the original versions. Jerome Blattner Starting a sentence with a noun clause starting "That" is acceptable, but it grates on lots of people's ears. If it grates on your ears, opt for "The fact that" instead of just "That. Currently, I am working as an academic writer at Lambdageeks. A clause is a grammatical unit containing a subject and a predicate and forming part of a sentence or a whole, simple sentence. A subordinate clause also contains a subject and verb, but it cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Here are a few noun clause sentences where the noun clause is the subject of the sentence. Example: The white rhino was found today the white rhino is the noun phrase In this article we want to know more about noun clauses hence we will discuss noun clause examples in depth. The Ultimate List of Clauses Refer to the graphic below to learn the different types of Clauses : Select the noun clause s in the sentences below. I wonder what is making Tracy so unhappy. Remember, independent clauses contain a subject and a verb and create a complete thought, while dependent clauses cannot express a complete thought without the help of an adjoining independent clause. Noun phrases act as subjects, direct objects, or prepositional objects in a sentence.
It follows therefore that a noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence. You also can apply a couple of techniques for recognizing them. In the above-mentioned sentences, the noun clauses that started with whatever, that, when, etc. However, for many, it sounds too unnatural. Tip for checking if something is a noun clause: Try replacing the clause with other nouns or pronouns.
A noun clause acts as a noun in a sentence. Example of Situation Five — I am so frightened that I cannot go to bathroom alone. Marta said that she was tired. The italicized portion is the noun clause which contains a subject and verb but is a dependent clause. Issue 2 Choose the right version of "who" and "whom" at the start of a noun clause. How to identify a noun clause A noun clause adds crucial information to a sentence. Whoever ingests the heart-shaped herb receives the superhuman power of vibranium.
