NOUN CLAUSE SENTENCES

Noun clauses perform the same functions in sentences that nouns do:

Ø  A noun clause can be a subject of a verb:

What Billy did shocked his friends.

Ø  A noun clause can be an object of a verb:

Billy’s friends didn’t know that he couldn’t swim.

Ø  A noun clause can be a subject complement:

Billy’s mistake was that he refused to take lessons.

Ø  A noun clause can be an object of a preposition:

Mary is not responsible for what Billy did.

Ø  A noun clause (but not a noun) can be an adjective complement:

Everybody is sad that Billy drowned.

Ø  What Birbal did  bewildered  the king.  (subject of a verb)

Ø  Akbar's mistake was that he had underestimated Birbal. (subject complement)

You can combine two independent clauses by changing one to a noun clause and using it in one of the ways listed above. The choice of the noun clause marker (see below) depends on the type of clause you are changing to a noun clause:

Ø  To change a statement to a noun clause use that:

I know + Billy made a mistake =

I know that Billy made a mistake.

Ø  To change a yes/no question to a noun clause, use if or whether:

George wonders + Does Fred know how to cook? =

George wonders if Fred knows how to cook.

Ø  To change a wh-question to a noun clause, use the wh-word:

I don’t know + Where is George? =

I don’t know where George is.