Noun Clause

Noun Clause
Most people are comfortable with the idea of a noun, but they may not feel so confident
when it comes to the noun clause. A noun clause is a group of words acting together as a
noun. These clauses are always dependent clauses. That is, they do not form a complete
sentence.

The best way to familiarize yourself with these types of clauses is to take a look at some
sample sentences containing noun clauses at work.

Purpose of a Noun Clause

Noun clauses are used to name something when a single word isn't enough. Again, they're
always going to be dependent clauses and these clauses can't stand alone. If a dependent
clause stands alone, it forms a sentence fragment, not a full sentence. While an independent
clause can act as a sentence by itself, a dependent clause cannot.

How to Spot a Noun Clause

One of the easiest ways to spot a noun clause is to look for these words:

 How
 That
 What
 Whatever
 When
 Where
 Whether
 Which
 Whichever
 Who
 Whoever
 Whom
 Whomever
 Why
 Types of Noun Clauses
Beyond these keywords, you can also spot a noun clause based on its function within the
sentence. Let's take a look at some of the most prominent roles of noun clauses.

Subject of a Verb

Object of a Verb

Subject Complement

Object of a Preposition

Adjective Complement

Subject of a Verb

A noun clause can act as the subject of a verb. For example:

 What Alicia said made her friends cry.

 What Megan wrote surprised her family.
 How the boy behaved was not very polite.

When there's a verb in the sentence, you must find the subject.

 In the first sentence, we can ask, "What made her friends cry?" The answer is "what
Alicia said." Therefore, "what Alicia said" is the subject of the verb "made."
 In the second sentence, we can ask, "What surprised her family?" The answer is "what
Megan wrote."
 In the third sentence, we can ask, "What was not very polite?" The answer is "how the
boy behaved."

Object of a Verb

In the same vein, noun clauses can also act as the direct object of a verb:

 She didn't realize that the directions were wrong.

 He didn't know why the stove wasn't working.
 They now understand that you should not cheat on a test.

Once again, you can use the method of questioning to demonstrate how the noun clause is
being used.

 In the first sentence, we can ask, "What didn't she realize?" and the answer is "that the
directions were wrong." Therefore, "that the directions were wrong" is the object of
the verb.
 In the second sentence, we can ask, "What didn't he know?" and the answer is "why
the stove wasn't working."
  In the third sentence, we can ask, "What do they understand?" and the answer is "that
you should not cheat on a test."

Subject Complement

A noun clause can also serve as a subject complement. A subject complement will always
modify, describe, or complete the subject of a clause.

 Carlie's problem was that she didn't practice enough.

 Harry's crowning achievement at school was when he became class president.
 Darla's excuse for being late was that she forgot to set her alarm.

Do you see what questions these noun clauses answer and how they relate to the subject?

 What was Carlie's problem? She didn't practice enough.

 What was Harry's crowning achievement? It was when he became class president.
 What was Darla's excuse for being late? It was that she forgot to set her alarm.

Without these clauses, the sentences would not be complete thoughts.

Object of a Preposition

Noun clauses also act as objects of a preposition. In the examples below, you'll see the
prepositions "of" and "for" in action.

 Harry is not the best provider of what Margie needs.

 Josephine is not responsible for what Alex decided to do.
 Allie is the owner of that blue car parked outside.

Again, the best way to understand this concept is by asking the appropriate questions.

 In the first sentence, we can ask, "Harry is not the best provider of what?" The answer
is "what Margie needs."
 In the second sentence, we can ask, "Josephine is not responsible for what?" The
answer is "what Alex decided to do."
 In the third sentence, we can ask, "Allie is the owner of what?" The answer is "that
blue car parked outside."

Each of these sentences could be complete before the addition of the prepositions. However,
the prepositions are introduced to provide further detail and the noun clauses act as the
objects of these prepositions.

Adjective Complement

Last but not least, a noun clause can also function as an adjective complement, modifying a
verb, adjective, or adverb.

 Jerry knows why Elaine went to the store.

 They're perfectly happy where they live now.
  Geoffrey runs so quickly that he can outrun his dog.

The adjective complement is providing more information about the verb, adjective or adverb
that precedes it.

 In the first sentence, we can ask, "What does Jerry know?" In this case, "know" is the
verb being modified. The thing that he knows is "why Elaine went to the store."
 In the second sentence, we can ask, "What are they happy about?" In this case,
"happy" is the adjective being moodified. The thing that they are happy about is
"where they live now."
 In the third sentence, we can ask, "How quickly does Geoffrey run?" Here, "quickly"
is the adverb being modified. He runs so quickly "that he can outrun his dog."

Similar to the examples containing prepositions, each of these sentences could be complete
after conjunction (e.g., why, where and that). The adjective complements provide further
detail and, in each of these instances, these adjective complements are noun clauses.

Identifying a Noun Clause

Noun clauses are common in everyday speech. They add crucial information to sentences.
Remember, noun clauses:

 Contain a subject and a verb

 Are dependent clauses
 Function as a noun in the sentence
 Begin with words like that, what, when, or why, to name a few

The Composition of a Noun Clause

Let's look quickly at the definition for "clause."
Definition of "Clause"

A clause has a subject and a verb and functions as one part of speech.
It follows therefore that a noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence. A great way to test whether a
phrase or clause is functioning as a noun is to try to replace it with a pronoun. If you can, your phrase
or clause is functioning as a noun.

 What I say is true.

(Pronoun test: "It is true." This proves that "What I say" is functioning as a noun.)

 Show me how they work.

(Pronoun test: "Show me them." This proves that "how they work" is functioning as a noun.)
Lots of noun clauses start with that, how, or a "wh"-word (what, who, which, when, where, why). For
example:
  I know that it happened.
 I know how it happened.
 I know why it happened.

Easy Examples of Noun Clauses

Here are some easy examples. In each example, the noun clause is in shaded, the subject is bold, and
the verb of the noun clause is underlined.

 I know that the story is true.

 I saw how the accident happened.
 I understand why it was necessary.
 I know who said that.

(Often, the opening word (i.e., how, that, or the "wh"-word) is the subject of the noun clause.)

The Function of Noun Clauses

Like any noun, a noun clause can be a subject, an object, or a complement. Here are some more easy
examples of noun clauses as subjects, objects, and complements.

 Whoever smelt it dealt it.

(Here, the noun clause is a subject.)

 My command is whatever you wish.

(Here, the noun clause is a subject complement.)

 I will give what you said some thought.

(Here, the noun clause is an indirect object. That's pretty rare.)

Real-Life Examples of Noun Clauses

Here are some real-life examples:

 Light knows when you are looking at it. ("Light and space" artist James Turrell)

(Here, the noun clause is the direct object of the verb knows.)

 It is a light thing for whoever keeps his foot outside trouble to advise and counsel him that
suffers. (Greek tragedian Aeschylus)

(Here, the noun clause is the object of a preposition (for).)

 My relationships are between me and whomever I'm with, not between me and the world.
(Actress Lili Reinhart)

(Here, the noun clause is the object of a preposition (with).)

  Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. (Playwright George Bernard
Shaw)

(Here, the noun clause is a subject complement.)

More Examples of Noun Clauses

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

 Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying. (Fran Lebowitz)

(This noun clause is the direct object of ask.)

 He knows all about art, but he doesn't know what he likes. (James Thurber, 1894-1961)

(This noun clause is the direct object of know.)

 It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man. (H L
Mencken, 1880-1956)

(This noun clause is the direct object of believe.)

 I never know how much of what I say is true. (Bette Midler)

(This noun clause is an object of a preposition.)

 Man is what he eats. (Ludwig Feuerbach)

(This noun clause is a subject complement.)

 My one regret in life is that I am not someone else. (Woody Allen)

(This noun clause is a subject complement.)