Noun Clauses

Noun Clauses Noun Clauses Noun Clauses By Maeve Maddox A reader asks for more information about noun clauses. First, a little review. A clause is a group of words that contains a main verb. Examples: I dance the polka. what people like that ruined the evening Clauses are of two kinds: main or independent subordinate or dependent Clauses function as parts of speech: He bumped into the wall when the lights went out. (Adverb clause modifying the verb bumped.) Theres the man who saved the kitten. (Adjective clause qualifying the noun man.) He knows what consumers like. (Noun clause, object of the verb knows.) A noun clause functions as a noun in another clause. The noun clause may be the subject or object of a verb, or the object of a preposition: What he is doing smacks of corruption. (Noun clause, subject of the verb smacks.) We can only hope that the wind will die down soon. (Noun clause, object of the verb can hope.) Ill give this computer to whoever wants it. (Noun clause, object of the preposition to.) And yes, it should be whoever and not whomever because whoever is the subject of the verb wants. Some words that may introduce a noun clause: who whom whose which that if whether what when where how why whoever whenever whatever wherever Sometimes the introductory word may be left out, as in I wish I knew the reason. (i.e,, I wish that I knew the reason.) But thats another post. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eight-Point ArcHow to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsWhat the Heck are "Peeps"?