1.

Subjects:

What I like is a good joke.

What makes me laugh is

slapstick comedy.

1.

Objects:

I don’t understand why you find that funny.

You can see that I am easily amused.

We’re impressed by what she’s done.

1.

Subject complements:

The question is whether

people will laugh.

1.

Adjective complements:

It’s clear that laughter

involves an emotion.

1.

Noun clauses begin with that,

question words, words formed

from –ever (whatever, whoever,

whomever, whichever) or

whether or if.

1.

We realize that she was joking.

We don’t understand what it means.

Whatever you decide is fine with me.

He doesn’t know if/whether it’s true or not.

2.

We use the word that to introduce some noun clauses. In such cases, that is a grammatical word that simply introduces a clause. It has no concrete meaning.

That she was a funny person was apparent.

2. Teacher’s Note:

The word that has different uses:

Who is that?

Can I please have that paper?

I don’t like movies that are too scary.

That the boys competed for their mother’s attention was apparent.

2.

That can be omitted when it

introduces an object noun

clause or a complement noun

clause, especially in speaking:

2.

I believe (that) humor is healthy.

I told Sue (that) she was a funny person.

It’s odd (that) you laugh so little.

2.

When that introduces a subject

noun clause, it is never omitted.

That Joe has a good sense of

humor is obvious.

NOT **Joe has a good sense of

humor is obvious.

2. Subject noun clauses beginning with thatare very formal.

Teacher’s note: it is really not important to be able to use subject noun clauses because it is very formal and not common. It is important to be able to understand a sentence with a subject noun clause when you are reading.

2.

BE CAREFUL! Do not confuse thatand what. The word that simply introduces a noun clause. The word what refers to something definite. It serves as the object in the noun clause and cannot be omitted (Teacher’s note: a noun clause that begins with what is an embedded question.)

2.

I know (that) she is coming.

I don’t know what she is

bringing.

3.

The fact that is sometimes used in place of that in subject noun clauses.

That you can laugh is good. =

The fact that you can laugh is good.

3.

The fact that must be used in place of that in noun clauses that are objects of prepositions:

I’m impressed by the fact that Bob is here.

NOT

** I’m impressed by that Bob is here.

3.

It often functions as the subject of a sentence, with the noun clause coming at the end. Like the word that, it, when used with a noun clause, is a grammatical word with no concrete meaning.

It’s funny (that) you should say that.

3. Teacher’s Note

This kind of sentence beginning

with it is very, very common,

and people who are learning

English often don’t know how to

use it. Here are some more

examples:

3. Teacher’s Note

It’s hard to understand this lesson.

It’s easy to talk about, but it’s hard to do.

It’s too bad he wasn’t at the meeting.

It’s beautiful outside today.

4.

A question that is changed to a noun clause is called an embedded question. We use statement word order in embedded questions, and not question word order. (Teacher’s note: you can also think of this as indirect speech.)

4.

I don’t even know if she’s from

around here.

I don’t know who she is.

NOT

**I don’t know who is she.

4.

USAGE NOTE: an embedded question is more polite than an indirect question:

What time is it? (direct)

Do you know what time it is? (more polite)

4.

An embedded question can occur within a statement or within another question. An embedded question within a statement is followed by a period. An embedded question within another question is followed by a question mark.

4.

I’m not sure what incongruous means.

Do you know what incongruous means?

I don’t know how far it is to to the nearest town.

Do you know how far it is to the nearest town?

5.

Wh- question words introduce embedded wh- questions.

Do you know when she arrived?

Do you know how many children she has?

5.

The subject of an embedded

wh- question takes a singular

verb.

I’m not certain who is going

with us.

5.

BE CAREFUL! Don’t use do, does or did in embedded questions.

I have no idea what she meant.

NOT

**I have no idea what did she mean.

6. We use if and whether (or not) to introduce embedded yes/no questions.

Do you know if she had to work today?

Who knows whether she’s here?

I have no idea whether she came or not.

6.

Note that if and whether are

similar in meaning, and often

can be used interchangeably.

The following sentences all

mean the same thing:

6. We’re not sure if Bob is in town.

We’re not sure if Bob is in town or not.

We’re not sure whether Bob is in town.

We’re not sure whether Bob is in town or not.

We’re not sure whether or not Bob is in town.

6.

BE CAREFUL! Use whether and not if to introduce a subject noun clause:

Whether (or not) she understood is questionable.

NOT

** If she understood is questionable.

6. BE CAREFUL! Do not omit if or whether (or not) in embedded yes-no questions.

It is difficult to say if his plan will work.

It is difficult to say whether or not his plan will work.

NOT

**It is difficult to say his plan will work.

7.

Whether … or not can replace whether in all noun clauses.

We don’t know whether she got the job =

We don’t know whether she got the job or not.

7. If … or not can replace whether in all but subject noun clauses.

No one has told me whether she received the letter or not =

No one has told me if she received the letter or not =

Whether she received it isn’t known.

NOT

**If she received it or not isn’t known.