We use a noun clause to answers questions in sentences with 'Who?' or 'What?”. The noun clauses come after the verb and there are five functions that the noun clause can be in the sentence, which are, subject of a verb, object of a verb, subject complement, object of a preposition and adjective complement. A noun clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and it can't stand alone as a sentence. / We use substantive prayers to answer questions in prayers with Who? or what? The noun clause comes before the verb and there are five functions they can play in the sentence or period, which they are subject of the verb, object of the verb, subject of the complement, object of a preposition and complement of a adjective. A noun clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and cannot stand alone in the clause or period.
Check bellow one example for each function: / Below is an example of each function:
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The noun clause as a subject of a verb:/ The noun clause as a subject of the verb:
Example: / Example: What Ingrid Did shocked her friends. / What Ingrid did shocked her friends.
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The noun clause as an object of a verb: / The noun clause as an object of the verb:
Example: / Example: Maysa's friends didn't know that she couldn't run. / Maysa's friends didn't know she couldn't run.
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The noun clause as a subject complement: / The substantive clause as a subject of the complement:
Example: / Example: your mistake was that you refuse to have breakfast. / Your mistake was that you refused to eat breakfast.
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The noun clause as an object of preposition:/ The substantive clause as an object of a preposition:
Example: / Example: I'm not responsible for what you did./ I am not responsible for what you did.
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The noun clause as an adjective complement: / The noun clause as a complement to the adjective.
Example: / Example: she is curious what color is it. / She is curious about what color this is.
→ Look at this example: / See this example:
"What do you think about murder?" / “What do you think about murder?”
i think that murder is terrible and that those people should be punished./ I think murder is terrible and that the people who commit it must be punished.
there are two noun clauses in this sentence and they are the object of the verb "think". / There are two noun clauses in this sentence and they are the object of the verb “to think”.
The noun clauses are dependent clauses, because they don't have meaning by themselves, that's why they need the independent clause to help to make sense. In this case the independent clause is “I think”. / Substantive clauses are dependent because they do not have a full meaning of their own. For this reason, they need independent prayer to help them make sense. In this case, the independent prayer is "I think".
“I think" = independent clause
“I think” = independent prayer
“that murder is terrible" and "that those people should be punished" = Dependent noun clauses. / “that murder is terrible and that the people who commit it must be punished” = dependent prayers.
By Janaína Mourão
Graduated in Letters - English
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
MOURãO, Janaína Pereira. "Substantive Sentences in English"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/ingles/oracoes-substantivas-ingles.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
