NOUN CLAUSES
A noun clause is a clause which does the work
of a noun in a sentence. It is a group of words
containing a subject and a finite verb of its
own.
Ever since you first toddled into a school house door, your teachers have
been telling you that a noun is a
person, place or thing.
Unfortunately, some erudite linguists have demonstrated that such a
definition is entirely too simple.
But since we aren’t linguists, we will lock those fellows in the closet
(metaphorically speaking, of course) and hang on to the definition we know: A
noun is a person place or thing.
Remember
1. A noun is a part of speech.
2.
Subjects and objects are parts of a sentence.
3.
Nouns function as subjects or objects.
4.
Therefore: Nouns = subjects or objects.
Example:
The burrito gave me heartburn.
("Burrito" and "heartburn" are the nouns in this
sentence. "Gave" is the verb and "burrito" is the subject.)
But What About This One?
What I had for breakfast gave me heartburn.
(The verb is still "gave," but the subject is a noun clause:
"What I had for breakfast.")
A sentence like the one above sends some people to the aspirin bottle.
Why isn’t the subject "I"?
Why isn’t it "breakfast"?
Remember
To
find the subject of a sentence, locate the verb and ask who or what about the
verb.
In the sentence above, ask "what gave me heartburn?"
"I"? clearly not.
"Breakfast"? not exactly.
"What I had for breakfast"? Right.
"But wait," you say. "I thought a noun was a person place or
thing"?
It is. Think about "what I had for breakfast" as being a thing or
things.
Let's look at some more examples:
(the noun clauses are underlined)
What the English teacher said was downright inspiring.
(This noun clause is used as a subject.)
The wonderful thing about English teachers is that they all get along so well.
(This noun clause is used as a subject complement)
I must decide which English course to take.
(This noun clause is used as a direct object.)
English teachers dispense wisdom to whoever will listen.
(This noun clause is the object of a preposition)
By now it is becoming clear that lots of dependent signals introduce noun
clauses.
Below is a list.
Dependent
signals which introduce noun clauses
Ø Who
Whom
Ø
Whose Which
Ø
That if
Ø
Whether What
Ø
When Where
Ø
How Why
Ø
And various forms of "-ever":
Ø
Whoever Whenever
Ø
Whatever Wherever
Notice
Lots of these words are flexible. They can do
different things in different sentences
Usually noun clauses begin
with that, what, where, when, who, whom, which, whose, how, why, whether,
etc.
Examples: He said that he would not come. We were all curious to know what he had done. Nobody knows when the registration will begin. We all wanted to find out who the winner was. Whom they were in contact with on the day of the robbery is of great interest to the police. Jane is not sure which university she should apply for. The judges had a hard time deciding whose painting was the best. How the baby fell from the window is a mystery. They asked the boy why he had hit his classmate. Whether you like it or not is not the issue.
Uses of Noun Clauses
n After some verbs and
adjectives
n To include a question in a
statement (embedded questions)
n To report what someone has
said or asked
Noun clauses can follow certain verbs and adjectives that express
mental activities
n Agree notice afraid positive
n Believe realize angry sorry
n Decide remember aware surprised
n Doubt see certain sure
n Feel show clear worried
n Forget suppose convinced
n Guess think disappointed
n Hear understand glad
n Hope wonder happy
n Imagine say pleased
n Know tell sad
To include a question in a statement
I don’t 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: noun clauses with that noun clauses with WH-word 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 can not be omitted if it is in the subject position
The fact that is used as the object of the preposition
We are curious about the fact that she is here today.
Noun clauses with Wh-words
They have statement word order, even when they occur within questions Wh + subject + verb I don’t 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
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
It is essential that babies have
stimulation.
I advise that she stay home with her children.
Direct (quoted) Speech vs Indirect (reported) Speech
Direct speech
Indirect speech
Direct (quoted) speech
States the exact words a speaker used.
In writing, use quotation marks.
John said, “ I love this class.”
Indirect (reported) speech
Reports what a speaker said without using the exact words. There are no quotation marks.
John said that he loved this class.
The reporting verbs say and tell are usually in the simple past for
both direct and indirect speech.
He said, “It’s great.”
He said it was great “I’m leaving.” She said she was leaving “I made it.” He said that he had made it. He said to her, “I’ve never lied.” he told her that he had never lied
Remember to change pronouns, time and place expressions this
and here in indirect speech to keep the speaker’s original meaning.
Ann told Rick, “I bought this dress here.” Ann told Rick that she had bought that dress there.
He said:
Some Modals change forms
can – could may –might will – would have to, must – had to could, might, should, would, ought to, and had better do not change form
“Are you bringing any fruit into the country?”
The customs officer asked the tourists if they were bringing any fruit into the country. “Do you have your transcripts with you?” The registrar asked me if I had my transcripts with me. “Can you fix my car?” I asked the mechanic if he could fix my car. “Did you see the accident?” The police officer asked me if I had seen the accident. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My first grade teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Reported commands and requests
Commands and requests are reported using infinitives, not noun clause “Bring the book!” She told me to bring the book. |
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