A Noun Clause (NC) can be one of two things: The object of a sentence ▪ I know what you want. ▪ I do not know who you are. The subject of a sentence ▪ What you want is unreasonable. ▪ Who you are does not concern me.
Noun Clause Markers Who, whom, whose, what, why, when, where, which, and how. Word order when Wh- word is the subject of the question is the same for the NC. Who lives there?I don’t know who lives there. Who is hungry?I know who is hungry. Who is the subject of the question.
When the subject comes after the verb in the question, it must be placed before the verb in the NC (as in all statements). Who are those men? I don’t know who those men are.
However, whatever, whenever, wherever, whichever, whoever, and whomever are also noun clause markers. I’ll find you wherever you go. Whatever you do is ok with me. Whoever comes first will be the lucky one. Whenever you come is convenient for me.
Tell me what you know using the question noun clause markers. I know how to work on cars. I know what the square root of sixteen is. I know when my cat is angry. I know where to park my car.
Whether or If are used when yes/no questions are turned into noun clauses. Will she come? ▪ I don’t know whether she will come. ▪ I don’t know if she will come. Whether is preferred over if in formal academic writing.
When using “or not” with whether, “or not” can come right after the noun clause marker or at the end of the sentence. I wonder whether or not she will come. I wonder whether she will come or not. “or not” can only come at the end of a NC when using if. I wonder if she will come or not.
Verb + That-Clause (NC as object) I think that Bob will come. I think Bob will come. I know that you are hungry. I know you are hungry. That is usually omitted in speech and included in formal academic writing.
Person + Be + Adjective + That-Clause It is common for that-clauses to follow adjectives to provide reasoning for the mentioned emotion. Judy is disappointed (that) I didn’t visit her. I’m pleased (that) you came to the party.
It + Be + Adjective + That-Clause This construction is common with adjectives that express opinion. It’s amazing (that) you survived the crash. It’s possible (that) the money was stolen. It’s surprising (that) it hasn’t rained.
That-clause as subject Uncommon for that-clauses to take subject position. The word that is not omitted when the that- clause is the subject. That the students are confused is clear. That Sam hates homework is obvious.
A more common construction for that- clauses as subjects is to use The fact that… It is a fact that…