Noun Clauses Embedded Questions What is a Noun

Noun Clauses Embedded Questions

What is a Noun Clause? There are many types of noun clauses. For now, we will look at a type that we also call “embedded questions” because they look like questions – but they aren’t. A noun clause is a dependent clause that contains a subject and a verb. A noun clause functions as noun in a sentence. A noun clause cannot stand alone because it is not a complete thought. It must always be paired with an independent (main) clause.

Noun Clause Examples: A: I remember. B: You remember what? A: I remember what you said yesterday. Here, the underlined portion is the independent clause that can stand alone. The italicized words, “what you said yesterday, ” serve as a dependent noun clause. “What you said yesterday” is a thing, therefore the clause is a noun.

Noun Clause as a Subject Since a noun clause is a noun, it can function as a subject of a sentence. Here a few noun clause sentences where the noun clause is the subject of the sentence. Whatever you decide to do is fine with me. How you made that decision baffles me. Why we chose not to include you is none of your business. In each of these examples, the italicized noun clause works as the subject.

Noun Clause as an Object A noun clause can also function as an object of a sentence. Here a few noun clause sentences where the noun clause is the object of the sentence. I don’t know where she lives. Did she say if there was a meeting yesterday? Can you check and see when the train leaves. In each of these examples, the italicized noun clause works as the object of the sentence. “I”, “she”, and “you” are all the subjects.

Building a Noun Clause Noun clauses are often created by modifying a question. There are two main ways to do this. Way 1 - Using Wh- words

Sometimes questions use am / are / is / was / were For am / are / is / was / were you need to change the position of the auxiliary verb (am / are / is / was / were) and the subject or object. See the table below: Question Where is she? Noun Clause Where she is… What is that noise? What that noise is… When are we leaving? When we are leaving… Why are we having a meeting? Why we are having a meeting…

Questions often use do / does / did. To make a noun clause, remove the do / does / did from the sentence. You might need to modify the verb by adding an "s" for third person or you might need to make the verb past tense. See the table below: Question Where does she live? Noun Clause Where she lives… What does she do? What she does… When did she leave? When she left… Why do we have a meeting? Why we have a meeting…

Sometimes questions use perfect forms or modal verb forms. We change the position of the first verb in the sentence – here it’s the modal verb – and the noun. See the table below: Question Where has she gone? Noun Clause Where she has gone… What will they bring? What they will bring… How long has she worked here? How long she has worked here…

Way 2 - Yes / No questions Sometimes questions have only a yes or no answer. These questions begin with an auxiliary verb such as do / does / did / am / are / is / was / were / has / have / will etc. These fall into two different categories. The first category is for do / does / did. For these words, you do not need to use the auxiliary verb. But you might need to add "s" to the verb for 3 rd person or you might need to make the verb past tense.

The other important difference is that we use if / whether at the beginning of the clause. These both have basically the same meaning. For now, it doesn't matter which one you use. See the table below: Question Does she have a car? Noun Clause …if she has a car… Do we have a test this week? …if we have a test this week… Did they bring anything? …if they brought anything…

For am / are / is / was/ were / has / have / will etc. we need to change the places of the auxiliary verb and the subject / object. We also need to add if / whether. Question Will she join us? Noun Clause …if she will join us… Are they meeting tomorrow? …if they are meeting tomorrow… Is the exam hard? …if the exam is hard… Have you ever been to Lisbon? …if you have ever been to Lisbon…