Introduction

A clause is a group of words that contain a subject and a verb. Clauses can take the place of different parts of speech

.For instance, you are probably familiar with adjective clauses

.The man, who looked sleepy, sat down

Who looked sleepy is an adjective clause. It is taking the place of an adjective. An adjective is used to describe nouns and so do adjective clauses

.We could re-write the sentence with an adjective

.The sleepy man sat down

Similarly, a noun clause can take the place of a noun. This lesson will explain noun clauses, give examples of noun clauses, and then provide several quizzes to practice forming noun clauses
 

Noun Clauses - Explanations & Examples

There are three basic types of noun clauses. These types are 1) noun clauses that start with a question word (where, how, who, when, why), 2) noun clauses that start with whether or if, and 3) noun clauses that start with that 
 

 Noun Clauses that Start with a Question

Noun clauses that start with a question are usually used to answer a question. The following examples should better explain this

 

• ?Where does Sarik live
  .I don't know where Sarik lives
  where Sarik lives" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
• I don't know Sarik's address. The noun phrase, Sarik's address, replaces with the noun clause, where Sarik lives 
  
  
   
• ?What time is it
  .I don't know what time it is
  "what time it is" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
  I don't know the time. In this case, the noun phrase, the time, replaces the noun clause, what time it is
   

 Noun Clauses that Start with Whether or If

Noun clauses that start with whether or if are used to answer yes/no type questions. Whether and if are usually interchangeable. The following examples should better explain this
 

• ?Does Judy own a Honda
  .I don't know if Judy owns a Honda
  "if Judy owns a Honda" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
  I don't know the answer. In this case, the noun phrase, the answer, replaces the noun clause, if Judy owns a Honda
  
   
• ?Will Sadine be at work on Friday
  .I don't know whether Sadine will be at work on Friday
  "whether Sadine will be at work on Friday" is a noun clause. We could answer this question without a noun clause by saying the following
  I don't know the answer. In this case, the noun phrase, the answer, replaces the noun clause, whether Sadine will be at work on Friday

Noun Clauses that Start with That

Noun clauses that start with that are used to answer questions in which person who is answering is thinking, giving an opinion, or using a mental activity verb. The following examples should better explain this

• ?Is Dr. Elimelech a good instructor
  .I think that Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor
  "that Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor" is a noun clause. This noun clause could be omitted by saying the following
  .I think so
  
   
• ?Do you know the location of an ATM
  .I believe that there is an ATM in the supermarket
  ."that there is an ATM in the supermarket" is a noun clause

.Most of the time, native speakers will drop the word that. It is perfectably acceptable to say the following

.I think that Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor
.OR I think Dr. Elimelech is a good instructor

.I believe that there is an ATM in the supermarket
.OR I believe there is an ATM in the supermarket

Jackie has a 20-dollar bill and wants to break it so that she may have some smaller bills

 Sometimes you need to state a preference when someone makes a suggestion, offers something or asks your opinion about what to do. Often people are asking for your opinion and you can state your preference freely, other times, people have made an offer and you need to state a preference politely if you do not want to do what has been suggested, or would rather do something else