What Is a Noun Clause?
A noun clause is a dependent clause that acts as
a noun. Noun clauses begin with words such as how, that, what, whatever, when, where,
whether, which, whichever, who, whoever, whom, whomever, and why. Noun clauses
can act as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives,
or objects of a preposition.
Purpose of a Noun
Clause
Noun clauses can be used in a
number of ways, and they serve different purposes. First and foremost, please
recognize that these clauses are dependent clause. A dependent clause is
one that cannot stand by itself. If a dependent clause is placed alone, it forms
a fragment, not a sentence. An independent clause can act as a sentence by
itself, but dependent clauses cannot.
Noun
Clause Examples:
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.
Subject of a Verb
A noun clause can act as a
subject of a verb, and we will break down what that means after a couple
of examples. This clause is acting as the subject of a verb is present in:
• What Alicia said made her
friends cry.
• What Megan wrote surprised her family.
• What the man did was not
very polite.
Object
of a Preposition
Noun clauses also act as objects
of a preposition.•
• Harry is not the provider of what Margie needs.
•osephine
is not resposible for what Alex decided to do.
•Alie is the owner of that blue car.
Adjective
Complement
