NOUN CLAUSES

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NOUN CLAUSES

 

Definition of the Noun clause

An noun clause is a subordinate clause used as a noun. It fuctions as a noun in the sentence.

                He noticed her nervousness. (noun)
                he notice that she was nevous. (noun clause)

The noun clause may be introduced by subordinate conjuntions or relativepronouns.

Postition of the noun clause

Since the noun clause may be used in the same  way in which a noun is used, it can occur anywhere in the sentence that a noun can occur.

Subject of the sentence :

                His destination is a secret.
                Where he is going is a secret.

Inderect object :

                The club will give the winner a prize.
                The club will give whoever wins a prize.

Direct object :

                I know his name.
                I know what his name is.

Subjective Complement

                This  is my opinion.
                This is what I think

Objective complement

                She will name him John.
                She will name whatever she wants to.

Object of a preposition :

                She worried about his health.
                She worried about how ill he was.

Appositive:

                One problem, his incompetence, will be hard to deal with.
                One problem, that he is incompetent, will be hard to deal with.

Object of participle :

                Remembering her remark, I was careful to be on time.
                Remembering what she said, I was careful to be on time.

Object of an infinive :

                John asked her to read the manuscript.
                John asked her to read what he had written.

Object of a gerund :

                Knowing English is very useful to him.
                Knowing that he is here is a comfort to me.

 Subordinator in the Noun Clause

Subordinator which introduce noun clauses can be either relative pronouns or subordinate

conjunction. See the list in the Illustration section.

When apronoun is used as a subordinator, it takes one of the nou positions in the clause it introduces, or it acts as determiner before one of the nouns in clause.

We know who wrote the letter. (subject)
We know who(m) you saw. (direct object)
We know whose work was best. (determiner)
We know of whom he was speaking. (object of a preposition )
We know  which way they went. (determiner)
We know what time it as. (determiner)

We know what they needed. (direct object)
We know what happened. (subject)
 

They  will welcome whoever is there . (subject)

Give them whatever they need. (direct object)

 

When a conjunction acts as a subordinator, it may have an adverbial function within the clause it introduces. That is to say when a subordiate conjunction turns a sentence into a noun clause the conjunction often replaces an adverbial.

His house is on Main Street.
I know where his house is.

Did they say where she went?
We understand Why she is tired and hungry.
I remember when he was very young.
I can tell you how he dislike inactivity.

***Notice that the noun clauses in the precending examples are all object of the verb in the noun + verb  + noun sentence pattern. Other verbs after which these clauses commonly appear are ask, guess, see, and explain. Noun clauses may also be used as complement after the lingking verb be, and sometimes become, in the noun + lingking verb + noun/ adjective pattern.

                The child became what her father had been, a doctor.
                You can be whatever you choose.

Use of Say and Tell

Unlike the other verbs used in precending example, the verb tell is not followes immediately by its object, the noun clause, but by an inderect object.

                Did he say where Mr. Santana went?
                Did he tell you where Mr. Santana went?

Say commonly occurs in the sentence pattern noun + verb + noun.
Tell occurs in the sentence patter noun + verb + noun + noun.

Posted by : Rianda Rita Ayu