Noun clauses
Use whole clauses as subjects and objects: What he said surprised me. I don’t know whether it’s true. The fact that…
In this lesson you will
- Use that-clauses and the fact that
- Use wh-clauses and whether as subjects/objects
- Use what as ‘the thing that’
Learn
A noun clause does the job of a noun. that-clauses: I think that it’s a good idea. It’s clear that he’s upset. As a subject, use the fact that: *The fact that she apologised helped.*
wh-clauses: I can’t remember where I put it. How they did it* is a mystery.* Use statement word order.
whether / if for yes/no ideas: I’m not sure whether* it will work.* Use whether (not if) at the start or after prepositions: *Whether we go depends on the weather. It depends on whether…*
what = the thing(s) that: *What I need is a holiday. I didn’t understand what she meant.*
Examples
- What surprised me most was the price.
- The fact that he lied made things worse.
- I wonder whether we’ll ever know the truth.
- It’s not clear how the virus spread.
Vocabulary
clause
a group of words with a subject and verb
the fact that
used to make a that-clause the subject
mystery
something not understood
depend on
be decided by
wonder
ask yourself
Practice
___ he said wasn’t true.
Speaking
Talk about things that surprise you, worry you or interest you, starting with What…, The fact that…, and How/Why… is a mystery to me.
Writing
Write a paragraph (120–150 words) about an unsolved mystery or open question, using at least five noun clauses.
Lesson quiz
___ you think doesn’t matter to him.
Review
Key points
- that-clauses; the fact that as subject.
- wh-clauses with statement order.
- whether (start, after prepositions) / if.
- what = the thing that.
What you learned
- ✓ I can use noun clauses.
- ✓ I use statement word order.
- ✓ I choose whether vs if correctly.
Grammar reference: Sentence structure and word order, Question forms