In Unit Six

When we studied Adjective Clauses, we learned that they describe nouns.

  • The person who I met was my teacher.
  • The country that I visited was Thailand.
  • Is the laptop that is sitting on the table new?
  • The desk which I'm using is broken.

In Unit Seven

We are going to study clauses that function as nouns. They do not describe nouns.

There are three basic types of Noun Clauses:

  1. Noun Clauses that start with a question word (where, what, how, who, when, why)
    • Japan is where he was born.
  2. Noun Clauses that start with whether or if:
    • Do you know if I can catch the #345 bus here?
  3. Noun Clauses that start with that:
    • I think that you are right.

Let's start with Noun Clauses with question words.

Noun Clauses With Question Words: These types of Noun Clauses are mostly used to ask and answer questions.

  • Do you know where Mike lives?
  • I do not know where Mike lives.

In order to make a Noun Clause with a question word, first, look at the following questions:

  1. When did you start learning English?
  2. Where does he live?
  3. Who do you live with?

When making a Noun Clause, you do not use question word order. So, do not use the auxiliary verbs do, does, or did in the noun clause.

Also, notice the changes when using did and does:

  1. When did you start learning English?
    • ...when you started learning English
  2. Where does he live?
    • ...where he lives
  3. Who do you live with?
    • ...who you live with

So, using the above examples, we could ask and answer questions as follows:

Example #1:

Question:

  • When did you start learning English? (No Noun Clause)
    • Could you tell me when you started learning English? (Noun Clause)

Answer:

  • I can't remember. (No Noun Clause)
    • I can't remember when I started learning English. (Noun Clause)

Example #2:

Question:

  • Where does he live? (No Noun Clause)
    • Do you know where he lives? (Noun Clause)

Answer:

  • I don't know. (No Noun Clause)
    • I don't know where he lives. (Noun Clause)

Example #3:

Question:

  • Who do you live with? (No Noun Clause)
    • Would you mind telling me who you live with? (Noun Clause)

Answer:

  • I don't want to tell you. (No Noun Clause)
    • I don't want to tell you who I live with. (Noun Clause)

We use Noun Clauses in places where nouns are normally found. This is common for subjects or objects of sentences:

  • Tell me what I want to know!
  • I didn't understand what was said.
  • What he eats is pretty strange.
  • John is who I live with.
  • Where I bought the furniture was quite inexpensive.
  • Tell me about where you went last night.

Who and What = Subject or Object in Noun Clauses?

Who or What can be confusing pronouns in Noun Clauses because they can be both subjects or objects in the clause.

Because of this, remember to follow the word order:

Subject + Verb

Sometimes, Who or What is the object of the Noun Clause:

  • I don't know what we ate.
    • We (subject)+ ate (verb)?(object)
  • He didn't tell me what he was planning.
    • He (subject) + was planning(verb) + ? (object)
  • She doesn't remember who she asked.
    • She (subject) + asked (verb) + ? (object)
  • Could you tell me what this is?
    • This (subject) + is (verb) + ? (object)

What and Who can also be the subject of the Noun Clause:

  • I am not certain who is coming tonight.
    • ? (subject) + is coming (verb)
  • Could you tell me what happened?
    • ? (subject) + happened (verb) ?
  • Do you know who has a dictionary?
    • ? (subject) + has (verb) + a dictionary
  • She was talking about what caused the accident.
    • ? (subject) + caused (verb) + the accident

Exercise

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