Noun Clauses
What is a Noun Clause?
A noun clause is a group of words that acts as a noun in a sentence.
Noun Clauses as Subjects
That-clauses
- That she won the prize surprised everyone.
- That he lied became obvious.
- That you came means a lot to me.
What-clauses
- What he said shocked me.
- What happened next is unclear.
- What you need is more practice.
Whether/If-clauses
- Whether he will come is uncertain.
- Whether they agree doesn’t matter.
Noun Clauses as Objects
After verbs of thinking/believing
- I think that she is right.
- He believes that the earth is flat.
- She knows what you did.
After verbs of saying/telling
- He said that he was tired.
- She told me what happened.
- They explained why they were late.
After verbs of asking/wondering
- I wonder if he will come.
- She asked whether I could help.
- We don’t know where they went.
Noun Clauses as Complements
- The problem is that we don’t have enough time.
- The question is whether we should continue.
- The truth is that nobody knows.
Common Wh-words in Noun Clauses
| Wh-word | Example |
|---|---|
| what | I know what you mean. |
| who | I wonder who called. |
| where | Tell me where you live. |
| when | I don’t know when he left. |
| why | She explained why she was late. |
| how | Show me how it works. |
Practice Examples
“What she told me about why the project failed is exactly what I suspected.”
- What she told me - noun clause as subject
- why the project failed - noun clause as object of “about”
- what I suspected - noun clause as complement
Noun clauses often begin with that, what, whether, or question words. The word that is frequently omitted in informal speech: “I think (that) it’s fine.”