Explaining noun clauses made with wh words - E4-06W

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Advanced English grammar - noun clauses using ‘wh’ words.
We have already studied adverbial and relative clauses. The third major group is noun clauses, which between them enlarge still further our possibilities of expression in English. There are a number of types, so this will be the first of two explanation files identifying and giving examples of the construction and function of these valuable means of expression. See also here for gerund-based noun clauses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t decide my programme for the morning.

 

 

 

I can’t decide what my programme should be for the morning

 

‘What my programme should be for the morning’ is a noun clause. The meaning of the above sentences is similar, but the form of expression is different. In the first case, we have a single noun, ‘programme’ as the object of the verb ‘decide’, whereas in the second sentence, the object is an entire clause: Question:  who/what can’t I decide? Answer: what my programme……

 

There are two main types of noun clause. The first type begins with one of the following: what, who, which, whose, that, when, where, why, how, how far, how often, how many etc, whether;  whatever, whoever etc. These may be the subject, object or complement of a verb. Here are some examples:

 

Noun clause subject:

 

Whatever you say won’t change my mind

How many new staff we should take on needs thinking about carefully.

Who they give the job to makes no difference to me.

 

Noun clause object:

 

Nobody agrees which road to take

I suggested that Sam should take a holiday

We wondered whether to abandon our trip.

 

Noun clause complement:

 

The name of this cake is whatever you want it to be.

My problem was where to park the car.

Our concern has always been when to sell the house.

 

As we saw above, noun clauses may use ‘who’, ‘which’, ‘whose’ and ‘that’, just as relative clauses do. But NOTE:

 ‘That’ can never introduce a noun clause subject. That he is stupid can’t be true.

 

The way to tell them apart is to ask if the word is introducing a group of words acting as a subject, object or complement of a verb, or if it is describing another noun.

 

I don’t mind whose car you take – just be quick!

He’s the type of person whose car never costs less than £100,000

 

In the first clause, ‘whose car you take’ is a noun clause object of ‘mind’; in the second, ‘whose car…..’  is a relative clause telling you more about the person.

 

Here is another example of each:

 

The police want to know who was driving the white van. (noun clause)

I have several friends who drive white vans. (relative clause)

 

There is a second group of noun clauses which uses the gerund or –ing verb form as a noun . Example:  Waiting at the bus stop is not my idea of fun.

 

We will look at this type in  file E4-07W