Noun Clauses NOUNS CLAUSES | Page 2

NOUN CLOUSE What is a Noun Clause? A noun clause is a dependent (or subordinate clause) that works as a noun. It can be the subject of a sentence, an object, or a complement. Like all nouns, the purpose of a noun clause is to name a person, place, thing, or idea. Examples: Here is a sentence with two more noun clauses: I do not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. The two noun clauses are: “what the future holds” and “who holds the future”. In both cases, the clauses are doing what nouns can do – acting as direct objects. Parts of a Noun Clause: because a noun clause is a clause, you should be able to find both a subject and a verb. Subject A subject is what the clause or sentence is about. The subject is often (but not always) the thing performing the action of the verb. Example Whoever spilled the milk should clean it up. In this example, the sentence is about ‘whoever’ How to write Noun Clauses Noun clauses always begin with certain words. The most common of these words are words that we also use to form questions: • • • • • Who What Why Where When We can also begin noun clauses with pronouns: • • • • • • Which That Whoever Whatever Wherever Whenever