Noun Clauses
Clauses that function as nouns: what you said, that she left, whether it works
When to Use Noun Clauses
- •As subject: What you said is true. That she left surprised me.
- •As object: I know that he's coming. I wonder whether it's true.
- •As complement: The problem is that we're late.
- •After certain verbs: think, believe, know, say, wonder, ask.
- •With question words: what, who, where, when, why, how.
How to Form Noun Clauses
Affirmative (+)
That/What/Whether/If + subject + verb (statement word order)
Negative (-)
That/What + subject + don't/doesn't + verb
Question (?)
Do you know + noun clause?
💡 That can often be omitted: I think (that) he's right. Use whether/if for yes/no embedded questions.
Examples of Noun Clauses
✓I believe that she is honest.
✗I believe that is she honest.
Statement word order in noun clause.
✓What he wants is unclear.
✗What does he want is unclear.
No inversion in noun clause.
✓I don't know whether he's coming.
✗I don't know whether is he coming.
Statement order after whether.
Common Mistakes with Noun Clauses
💡 Practice Tips for Noun Clauses
- • Noun clauses use statement word order (no inversion).
- • That can often be omitted after verbs like think, know, believe.
- • Whether/if for yes/no questions: I wonder if/whether...
- • What/who/where/when/why/how for wh- questions.
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