Noun Clauses

1. Noun Clauses A noun clause is a subordinate clause that functions as a noun

2. Like a noun . . . • A noun clause can be a SUBJECT, a pREDICATE NOMINATIVE, a DIRECT OBJECT, an INDIRECT OBJECT, or an oBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION. • It can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

3. Examples . . . • Which coat to choose is Mohammad’s dilemma. [subject] • The issue is how long should we wait. [predicate nominative] • Give what you can to this worthy cause. [direct object] • Please send whoever is interested this questionnaire. [indirect object] • Please help yourself to whatever you need. [object of preposition]

4. Words that can Introduce Noun Clauses • How • If • That • What • Whatever • When • Where • Whether • Which • Who • Whoever • Whom • Whomever • Whose • Why

5. Writing Tip: Use Noun Clauses Sparingly • An overuse of noun clauses can make your writing sound stuffy and stilted. • Original: Whatever the grade may be is not the issue. • Less formal, less wordy: The grade is not the issue.

6. Identify Noun Clauses • In The Iliad, Zeus tells his family that he is the mightiest of all.

7. We are not told Where Orpheus met and how he wooed the maiden Eurydice, but it is clear that no maiden could have resisted the power of his song.

8. Edith Hamilton’s classic collection shows how the ancients saw their own place in the world and how their themes echo in our consciousness today.

9. The writer of “Cupid and Psyche,” Apuleius, is entertained by what he writes; he believes none of it.

10. What happened after Cupid saw Psyche was not what Venus had counted on.