NOUN (OBJECT) CLAUSES

1. What are Noun Clauses?

 A noun clause is a clause that plays the role of a noun.

For example,
I like what I see.
I believe that she is innocent.

 In a sentence, a noun clause will be a dependent clause. In other words, a noun clause
does not stand as a complete thought.

For example,
We didn’t understand why he left the country. ( why he left the country does not state a
complete thought)

 Like any noun, a noun clause can be a subject or an object of a sentence.

NOUN CLAUSES USED AS THE OBJECT OF A SENTENCE

Subject Verb Object

I understand what you are saying.

They know that education is important.

I know where Sarah lives.

Everybody knows why he has left his country.

It hasn’t been decided when she’ll come.

He knows how he should approach the work.

I must find out whether he’s telling the truth or not.

We don’t know if she is willing to work overtime.

I don’t remember how much money I spent on that car.

I don’t know which school he’s going to.

Do you know how long it takes to get to the university.

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NOUN CLAUSES AS THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE

Subject Verb Complement

What is happening in that country doesn’t concern me.

Where the murderer lives is unknown.

When he will come depends on our decision.

How he passed the exam is a mystery.

How long you will work with us will be determined by the administration.

That he committed the crime is obvious.

Whether we’ll attend the meeting isn’t certain yet.

Which university he finished isn’t important.

How many students are going to take the will be announced soon.

university exam

 Noun clauses can be reduced to infinitive phrases.

For example,
He explained to me how I could solve the problem.
He explained to me how to solve the problem.

They wondered whether they should buy an expensive present or a cheap one.
They wondered whether to buy an expensive present or a cheap one.

She told me where I could get fresh vegetables.

She told me where to get fresh vegetables.

PRACTICE 1.

A. Read the text and write down the questions of the quiz.

Mrs Murphy is giving her students a "surprise" American history quiz today, and Jeffrey isn't
very happy about it. He has been absent for the past several days, and he's having a lot of
trouble answering the questions.

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He doesn't know who the nineteenth president of the United States was. He isn't sure when
the Civil War ended. He doesn't remember when California became a state. He has forgotten
where George Washington was born. He can't remember how many people signed the
Declaration of Independence. He doesn't know where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. He
has forgotten why Washington, D.C. was chosen as the capital. And he has no idea what
Alexander Graham Bell invented!

Jeffrey is very upset. The quiz was a surprise but that he's going to fail Mrs. Murphy's history
quiz won’t be a surprise.

1. Who was the nineteenth president of the United States?

2. _______________________________________________________________________________________?
3. _______________________________________________________________________________________?
4. _______________________________________________________________________________________?
5. _______________________________________________________________________________________?
6. _______________________________________________________________________________________?
7. _______________________________________________________________________________________?
8. _______________________________________________________________________________________?

B. Read the last sentence of the text. Underline the noun clause and tells how it is used.

PRACTICE 2. Underline the noun clauses in the following sentences.

1. I wondered what he was doing there.

2. He replied that he would come.
3. She asked if I could help her.
4. That honesty is the best policy is a well-known fact.
5. I expected that I would get the first prize.
6. Do you know why he is late?
7. I don’t know what he wants.
8. Pay careful attention to what I am going to say.
9. That she should forget me so quickly hurts me.
10. That you should behave like this is strange.

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PRACTICE 3. Correct the mistakes in the sentences below.

1. Do you know who did Sue go out with last night.

2. What did he buy was awful.
3. The police asked me which European country did I live in.
4. Sally asked me if would I meet her after work in the evening.
5. How much does designer’s boots isn’t known well.
6. Could you please tell me how do I get to the airport.
7. What does my brother enjoys most is playing soccer.

PRACTICE 4. Choose the correct option.

1. _____ he only attended about half of the classes contributed to his poor examination
results.
A) Why B) That C) How much D) Whether E) When

2. I don’t know _____ longer I can stay here.

A) how much B) how C) where D) how far E) when

3. _____ we’ll stay there is not certain as yet, but it won't be more than two weeks or so.
A) How long B) How many C) Where D) Whether E) Who

4. _____ she was pleased with the conditions or not couldn't be understood from her face.
A) That B) Whether C) If D) What E) When

5. After coming back from Africa, he realized _____ difficult life was for people in poor
countries.
A) what C) when E) why B) which D) how

PRACTICE 4. Combine the following sentences into a complex sentence with a noun clause.
1. He will fight to finish. He claims this.
He claims _______________________________________________________________________________.
2. She will win the first prize. It is certain.
It is ______________________________________________________________________________________.
3. He was innocent. He could not prove that.
He could not ____________________________________________________________________________.

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4. The manager committed the blunder. It is evident.
_______________________________________________________________________________ is evident.
5. He will return the money in a couple of days. This is his promise.
His promise ____________________________________________________________________________.
6. Will the patient recover? The doctor is not certain.
The doctor ______________________________________________________________________________.
7. Who saw the stranger? Nobody knows that.
Nobody knows _________________________________________________________________________.
8. Your claims for promotion will not be overlooked. I am sure.
__________________________________________________________________________ be overlooked.
9. He has committed a mistake. It is obvious.
_______________________________________________________________________________ is obvious.
10. The exams may be postponed. The teacher announced.
The teacher _____________________________________________________________________________________.

PRACTICE 5. Rewrite the following sentences using to+infinitive.

1. There is a lot of work that we need to do around the farm.

__________________________________________________________________________________________.
2. She had more clients that she had to call that afternoon.
__________________________________________________________________________________________.
3.  Ellen can’t decide whether she should go to the concert or stay home.
__________________________________________________________________________________________.
4. Please tell me how I can get to the Sandy Springs MARTA station.
__________________________________________________________________________________________.
5. Let’s get something that we can eat.
__________________________________________________________________________________________.
6. Joe doesn’t know what he should do.
__________________________________________________________________________________________.
7. I have some e-mails that I have to write.
__________________________________________________________________________________________.

PRACTICE 5. Complete the sentences.

1. What ____________________________________________________________________________ is ridiculous.

2. How much ______________________________________________________ was asked by the customer.
3. It seems that _________________________________________________________________________________.
4. Scientists don’t know what __________________________________________________________________.
5. That __________________________________________________________ was appreciated by his family.