noun clause

Look at the following sentences. 

• He expected to get a prize. 
• He expected that he would get a prize. 

In the first sentence the group of words ‘to get a prize’ does not have a subject and a predicate. 

This group of word does the work of a noun. 


Whereas in the second sentence, the group of words ‘that he would get a prize’ has both a subject and a predicate. 

Here this group of words does the work of a noun. This is a clause. 

This clause is the object of the verb EXPECT and so does the work of a noun. 

Since this group of words does the works of both a noun and a clause, it is calledNOUN-CLAUSE. 

Definition: 

A Noun-Clause is a group of words which contains a Subject and a Predicate of its own and does the work of a noun. 

Examples: 

• I often wonder how you are getting on with him. 

• He feared that he would fail. 

• They replied that they would come to this town. 

• Do you know who stole the watch? 

• I thought that it would be fine day.

• No one knows who he is.

• I did not know what he would do next.

• How the budget got in is a mystery.

• Pay careful attention to what I am going to say.

• I do not understand how all it happened.

The Noun-Clauses can be replaced with suitable Nouns or with suitable Noun-Phrases.

• No one knows when he will come. (Noun-Clauses)
• No one knows the time of his coming. (Noun-Phrases)

• I heard that he had succeeded. (Noun-Clauses)
• I heard of his success. (Noun-Phrases)

• We will never know why he failed. (Noun-Clauses)
• We will never know the reason for his failure. (Noun-Phrases)

• The law will punish whosoever is guilty. (Noun-Clause)
• The law will punish the guilty. (Noun)

• The police want to know where he is living. (Noun-Clauses)
• The police want to know his residence. (Noun)