UNIT Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and If/ Whether a | Inventions They Said Would Never Work 1 Grammar in the Real World @ [A Have you ever thought of inventing something? Iso, what was i? Read the article shout inventors. What obstacles did Edison and the Wright brothers face? Throughout history, new ideas have often faced skepticism! from society. Skepticism, however, has never stopped the creation of new inventions. Three important American inventors, s Thomas Edison and Orville and Wilbur Weight, faced strong public doubt, but they persevered,” and the results were the invention of the electric light bulb and the airplane. While Edison may now be considered a brilliant inventor, in his lifetime whe faced much criticism. Most inventors in his day would not announce an invention until they had a model. Edison, however, stated that he had invented the light bulb, but he had no actual evidence for it. Thus, scientists doubted what he said. Also, most inventors had a schedule for their projects, but Edison did not, No one knew exactly when he would complete it. Moreover, his experiments failed repeatedly, and this added to the skepticism. However, in 1882, Edison succeeded in lighting up an entire New York neighborhood, and the world finally understood what he had accomplished, Many inventors in the early 1900s wondered whether it was possible to fly. The Wright brothers proved what others doubted by inventing the ao first airplane. However, they faced many obstacles along the way. First, most inventors were highly educated, but the Wright brothers had little formal ‘education. Second, the success of inventors often depended on whether they had financial support. The Wright brothers had none. Finally, most inventors skeptics doubing the truth ot valu of an idea tet persevere: contin doing something ina determines way despte icles 216_Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and If/ Whether publicized their research, but the Wright brothers did not. No one knew 1s exactly what they were doing. Consequently, the public did not believe that the Wright brothers would succeed. Wilbur himself was not sure what would happen. He could not predict if their airplane would fly or not. Then, in 1903, the Wright brothers flew their airplane for 12 seconds in kitty Hawk, North Carolina. No one could believe what they were seeing. sv Five years later in France, they flew another plane higher and longer. Inventors almost always face public disbelief. Some people have trouble believing that new ideas are possible, but they certainly are. No one can be sure about what the future holds. Nee ea raania! B Comprehension Check Answer the questions. 1. Why did people doubt Thomas Edison? 2. How did Edison convince the world of his accomplishment? 3, What were the obstacles the Wright brothers faced? C Notice Find the sentences in the article and complete them. 1. Noone knew exactly 2, Second, the success of inventors often depended on 3, He could not predict Look at the sentences again. Answer the questions. 1. In sentence 1, what type of question is the missing clause similar to? aan information question _b. a Yes/No question 2. In sentences 2 and 3, what type of question is the missing clause similar to? a.an information question _b. a Yes/No question Noun Clauses with Wh- Words Grammar Presentation What they wanted was financial support. Noun clauses with wh- words can act The inventor understood how we should build the as subjects, direct objects, or objects machine. of prepositions. learned about how many inventions are made every year. Inventions They Sald Would Never Work 2172.1. Forming Noun Clauses with Wh- Words ‘a. Noun clauses with wh- words use 1'vejust realized what he did! statement word order (subject + verb). I don't know when Edison invented the light bulb b.When noun clauses with wh-words who, What happened next s going to surprise you. what, and which act as subjects, they take a singular verb. 2.2. Using Noun Clauses with Wh- Words. ‘a. Noun clauses with wh- words often, appear after the following verbs: Thoughts and opinions: consider, know, don't remember who invented the airplane. remember Learning and perception: figure out,find We need to figure out why our invention failed. out, see, understand, wonder Emotions: care, doubt, hate, lke, love urprofessor cares how we do our work. b. Noun clauses with wh- words often We shouldn't forget about which inventions follow verbs + prepositions, including _ succeeded and which didn’t. care about, decide on, find out about, I1ead about where Edison grew up. forget about, know about, learn about, read about, and see about. ith Infinitives 2.3 Reduced Noun Clauses Noun clauses with wh- words can often be reduced to wh- word + infinitive. Common infinitives used this way include information. tos. tconsder, to dele, to figute(01. jdontknow whatto say about your poaaiioa 10 find (out), to forget, to know, to learn, 1a ka What Gon say abut Four to remember, to say, to see, 0 show, to wart wention. understand, and to wonder. We're not sure who/ whom’ to ask for informati We're not sure who/whom' we should askfor st ue of whom sifequent except in ver formal weting. > Grammar Application Exercise 2.1 Noun Clauses with Wh- Words Ac.) Listen to the conversation among a group of students doing Internet research on recent inventions and inventors. Complete the sentences with the noun clauses you hear Peter OK, let’ start with Randi Altschul. Larry \dor'tknow who Randi Altschul is 0 218 Unit 16 Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and If/ WhetherNoun Clauses with Wh- Wards and If/ Whether Paula Neither do 1.1 don't know —___ Peter 1know____. She invented the disposable call phone, Paula. Timimpressed! I wonder Larry 1 don't know ; Peter Got it!It says here her cell phone wasn't working well, and she felt like throwing it away. fewpy Yate fired ont eee Se Peter Itsays bere she gta patent for itn 199 Larry 1just found out____________atthetime. It was Florida, Paula 1wonder Peter It says here that it was only? inches by 3 inches ~ kind of ike a credit card. Larry Iwonder Peter It was made of recycled paper. B Pair Work With a partner, talk about what you know or denit know about other inventions. Use the verbs in A with wh- novn clauses. know when the smartphone was invented. twas in 2007. remember what company first made it, but don't know who invented it. Exercise 2.2 Reduced Noun Clauses with Wh- Words + Infinitives Some college students ae talking to a business adviser about their new product. Rewrite the sentences with wh- words + infiitives. 1. Wedontt know where we should start. _We don't know where to start 2. Amy wonders where she could find a good patent lawyer 3. Idonit know how I can find a manufacturer for our product. 4. Binh is wondering who he can ask for money for our invention. Inventions They Sald Would Never Work 2195, I'll figure out who we can contact for financial advice 6. Iwonder what we should charge for our product. 3) Noun Clauses with If/ Whether » Grammar Presentation Noun clauses can begin with ifor whether. mnot sure ifthe Wright brothers invented ‘These noun clauses are similar in some the airplane. ways to Yes/No questions, but they follow He doesn’tknow whether we will get money fo statement (subject + verb) word order. our experiment. 3.1 Forming Noun Clauses with If/Whether, a. Use statement word order (subject + verb) don't know if the public will accept our idea. for noun clauses with if/ whether. | don't know whether Edison really invented th light bulb. bs Youcen use the words ornotat the endof The scientist didn’ know if/ whether you woul both ifand whether clauses. understand her invention or not. Ornot can immediately follow whether, but Thescientist didn't know whether ornot you not if would understand her invention. nor The scientist didn't know ifernet you would understand her invention. «You can use /whetherto ritroducetwo _Wedon't now whether the new phone othe options. new tablet will come out first. 3.2. Using Noun Clauses witiIf/ Whether . You can use noun clauses with if/whether after the following verbs: Thoughts and opinions: decide, know, inaven't decided if'm going to write a report. remember about the Wright brothers. Leaming and perception: figure out, find out He can't find out Edison first tried the lightbulP in New York. Emotions: care, doubt, matter, mind They doubted whether anyone would stealthe. idea 220 Unit 46 Noun Clauses with Wi- Words and If/ Whether_Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and If/ Whether 3.2 Using Noun Clauses with If/Whether (continued) , You can also use noun clauses with whether You should forget about whether you'll make a after verbs + prepositions, including care _lot of money with that invention, about, decide on find out about, forget nor You should forget about tyouitmakeatorot about, know about, and read about. money with-thatinvention: You cannot use if after prepositions. You can use an infinitive with whether. He lch’tknow whether to share his discovery. YYou cannot use an infinitive with if (He didn't know whetherhe should share his discovery) not He didn't know itte-shareis discovery: Data from the Real World(®) Noun clauses with ifare much more frequent than noun clauses with whether. Whether is more frequent in writing than in speaking, ‘Grammar App! ation : Exercise 3.1 Forming Noun Clauses with /f/Whether Combine the sentences. Use a noun clause with ifor whether. Sometimes more than one answer is possible. 1. Scientists have not decided something. Is time travel possible? Scientists have not decided whether time travel is possible. 2. Many people don't know something, Do some robots think like humans? 3. Many people don't know this. Can we invent a nonpolluting fuel? 4, We cant remember this Has anyone invented a self-cleaning house? 5. Many people dorit know about this. Are hybrid cars good for the environment? 6. Scientists haven't figured this out. Are there other planets humans can live on? Inventions They Said Would Never Work 221222 Exercise 3.2 Using Clauses with If / Whether AA Read the inventor’ lst of questions about her invention, Rewrite the questions as sentences. Use noun clauses with ifor whether, Notes on My Invention ~ Key Questions 1 Can | really invent a solar-powered car? L-don't know if | can really inv lar-pows . Will it take a long time to invent it? ‘Am I smart enough to do it by myself? Do people really want solar-powered cars? Will @ solar-powered car work on cloudy days? . Is my car going to be too expensive? Soe B Read more questions from the inventor in A. Rewrite the questions as sentences. ‘Use whether or not with an infinitive. Should I get some help? L can't whether or hel ‘Should | take out a loan from the bank? . Should | patent my idea first? . Should | see a lawyer? Unit 16 Noun Clauses with Wh Words and If/ WhetherNoun Clauses in Direct and Indirect Questions Grammar Presentation Wh- noun clauses and noun clauses with if and whether can be used in direct and indirect questions. Do you know when New York got electricity? (direct question) | was wondering when New York got ‘electricity. (indirect question) 4.1 Forming Direct and Indirect Questions a. Direct questions with noun clauses have question word order and end with a {question mark. ‘Common phrase Jude: Doyou know... ?Can youtell me...? Would you know ...? b. Indirect questions with noun clauses have statement word order and end with a period. Common phrases include: Iwant to find out... Id like to know. Idon't know why Do you know who invented the first calculator? Are you trying to find out if Edison was born in this country? Can anyone tell me if Edison was born in Scotland? ‘have been wondering what a patent is. ‘My group really needs to find out ifthe Wright brothers had financial support for their invention. Ii ike to know ifpeople need to get patents for their inventions vet and Five Expressons that node Inect Questions Seepage AI. Inventions They Said Would Never Work 223> Grammar App! ication Exercise 4.1 Direct and indirect Questions ‘Complete the interview with artist and inventor Crispiano Columna, Rewrite the ‘questions in parentheses as noun clauses in direct and indirect questions, Sometimes more than one answer is possible, ArtOnline I'm wondering _if you ar is inv ‘is Aveyou both an arts snd an veto) Grispiano Columna Yes, 'm both ArtOnline I'd like to know TE Whats oar on anor Crispiano Columna | make sculptures that you can wear as gloves. ArtOnline | was wondering Btanyor owns aT Grispiano Columna Yes, 'm wearing a pair right now. ArtOnline I'm interested in knowing Do pea masta your Crispiano Columna Not yet. I'm still trying to get funding to manufacture my gloves ArtOnline Can you tell us 2 TE Where were you bart) ;piario Columna | was bom in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. ArtOnline | was wondering Did you sy arn cage rispiano Columna No. in fact, | studied literature. ArtOnline I'd like to know Teller Sd ywutacone naa) Crispiano Columna | taught myself. | learned about color and drawing from books ArtOnline Please tell us er) Crispiano Columna It's an elect’ic car that you never have to stop and recharge. ArtOnline Please let us know Bow hes wo) Crispiano Columna It uses solar power. The solar power charges the batteries. ArtOnline \'d like to know = Ta as our even) Crispiano Columna | invented a toy airplane for my nephew when | was a teenager. tics ndbtnaiei eilene ab ie ia cab acaenacia ia 224 Unit 16 Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and if/ WhetherNoun Cau 15 with Wh- Words and If/ Whether Exercise 4.2 More Indirect Questions A Look at the pictures of ions, Write one indirect question about each picture. Use the following phrases: I wonder /I'm wondering, Ti like to know Tim interested in knowing, The hair protector The food cooler The baby mop The butter stick wonder who invented the hair protector. B Pair Work ‘Take turns reading your questions Avoid Common Mistakes 2 1, Remember that a noun clause with a wh- word follows statement word order. wil No one knows what wil the next great invention be. 2. Be careful to spe!l whether correctly. whether The success of the invention depended on wether people would buy it. 3, Do not confuse whether and either. The newest electronic devices will aways tempt us, either we like them or not. Inventions They Sald Would Never Work 225Editing Task Find and correct the mistakes in the paragraphs about the importance of the Internet in daily life. Many inventions make life more convenient, but the Internet is the most essential one today. The Internets pat of dal life. Although some people wory about ‘wheather this fact is harmful or not, many agree that they do not know what would they do if they could not go online. 5 First ofall, the Internet helps people communicate instantly with family and friends who are far away. In the past, people had to write a letter or pay for a long-distance call to find out how were they doing, While they waited, they worried about whether their loved ones were all right. Now there are many ways to contact people and find out ifthey are well. 10 _Inaddition, the Internet helps people find information. If we want to know what is the temperature in Seoul today, we only have to type the question. Also, itis very easy to look for employment, research solutions to a problem, and even find out wether a movie is playing nearby. Itis too early to tel either the Internet causes serious problems for society or not. 1s Tome, it seems extreme'y valuable because it connects me to people I care about and to information I need. Using Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and If/Whether Noun clauses that begin with wh- words, if, or whether are useful when describing how events happened. They are particularly useful for explaining what people think feel, or know. Read these examples: ‘Some inventors don't careiftheir inventions change the world. ‘Many doctors wonder when scientists will discover cures forall kinds of cancer. The Facebook creators had no idea how fast the site would grow. 226 Unit-16 Noun Clauses with Wh- Words and if/ WhetherNoun Clauses with Wh- Words and If/ Whether Pre-writing Task 1 Read the paragraph below. What discovery is the story about? What things did the discoverer not realize during the discovery process? An Accidental Discovery Penicilin is effective against many serious bacterial infections. Alexander Fleming a Scottish scientist, discovered penicillin in 1928, However, he did not immediately understand what he had discovered, At the time, he was observing substances that could destroy bacteria. However, Fleming was nota very nea scientist. He often left + trays of bacteria around his lab, In August 1928, he went away fora vacation. When he returned, he found that something strange had happened to one ofthe trays. A fungus hhad grown on the bacteria and killed them. At first, Fleming did not understand why this had happened, but he later realized what he had discovered. He realized thatthe fungus was powerful and could be useful in curing bacter‘a infections, but he still ww had not understood how important it was. He doubted whether the fungus could be effective long enough to kill bacteria inside a human body. The penicilin he grew in the frst few years was too slow in taking effect, so he stopped working on it. After a few years, he returned to it. Fleming and other scientists discovered ways to make the substance work more rapidly, and it soon became the most effective antibiotic in 1s existence. This discovery has saved millions of ives 2 Read the paragraph again. Underline the noun clauses with whether and wh- words. Notice how they help to tell the story of the discovery. Writing Task 1 Write Use the paragraph in the Pre-writing Task to help you write the story of a discovery or an invention. You may need to do some research. Include discoveries that the inventor or discoverer made along the way. You can write about inventions or discoveries that were: + accidental: + extremely popular + unnecessary + controversial + never popular + life-saving 2 Self-Edit Use the editing tips to improve your story Make any necessary changes. 1, Did you use noun clauses to help to tell the story? 2. Did you begin indirect questions with a wh- word, whether, orf? , 3. Did you avoid the mistakes in the Avoid Common Mistakes chart on page 225? Inventions They Said Would Never Work 227