Noun Clause

The Noun Clause

            In this unit, you will learn some of the basic functions of noun clauses. As the name suggests, noun clauses do not modify as adverbial and adjective clauses do, but noun clauses fungtion as nouns. Like nouns they are used as subject of a verb, object of a verb, object of a preposition, subjective complement and appositive. The following are some of the clauses signals or introductory words for noun clauses:

that           which          how many        how long

who          whom          whatever         whichever

whose       what           whenever          whoever

where        why            now often        how soon

when         how            how old           how far

whether, etc.

                Noun clauses are defined as subordinate or dependent clauses formed by a subordinating conjunction followed by a clause. Noun clauses perform nominal functions, or functions prototypically performed by noun phrases. Noun Clauses as Subjects. The first grammatical function that noun clauses can perform is the subject. Subjects are defined as words, phrases, and clauses that perform the action of or act upon the predicate. For example, the following italicized noun clauses function as subjects.

Formula:

·              Conjunction + S + Predicate + ……. (Object)

·           That + subject + verb (+ complement)

·          Wh-word + subject + verb ( + complement)

Fungsi Noun Clause

Berikut adalah contoh kalimat dari setiap fungsi noun clause.

Fungsi	Contoh Noun Clause dalam Kalimat
Subject of a Verb	·         What she cooked was delicious.
	·         That today is his birthday is not right.
Subject complement	·         The fact is that she is smart and dilligent.
	·         A teacher must be whoever is patient.
Object of a Verb	·         Diana believes that her life will be happier.
	·         I want to know how Einstein thought.
Object of a preposition	·         The girl comes from where many people there live in poverty.
	·         He will attend the party with whichever fits to his body.

Noun clause as the subject of a verb:

1. That frustration and anxiety may be the cause of some violent acts is the lawyer`s defense for his client. (The noun clause in boldface is used as the subject of the verb `is.`)
2. That he is insane needs no proof. (The noun clause in boldface is used as subject of the verb `needs`.)
3. What he does is none of your business. (The noun clause in boldface is used as subject of the verb `is`.)

Noun clause as the object of a verb:

1. He said that emotional problems can also cause violent acts. (The noun clause in boldface is used as object of the verb `said`.)

           In a `that` noun clause used as object in a sentence the clause signal `that` may be omitted. Note these examples:

• He said (that) emotional problems can also cause violent acts.
• He stated (that) he was innocent.
• He told me (that) he was at home the whole day.

2.      He forgot where he had put the knife. (The noun clause in boldface is used as object of the verb `forgot`.)

3.      He has not decided whether or not he will bring the case to court. (The noun clause in boldface is used as object of the negative verb `has not decided`.)

Noun clause as a subjective complement:

1. His problem is that he cannot produce evidence against her. (The noun clause in boldface is used as complement of the verb `is`.)
2. The prisoner is what he appears to be. (The noun clause in boldface is used as complement of the verb `is`.)
3. The winner was whoever gould answer the question. (The noun clause in boldface is used as complement of the verb `was`.)

Noun clause as an appositive:

1. The fact, that he could not prove his alibi, was strong evidence against him. (The noun clause in boldface is used in apposition to the noun `fact`.)
2. One problem, that is of his mental instability, will be hard to deal with. (The noun clause in boldface is used in apposition to the noun `problem`.)
3. The question, whether or not he could win the case, is still up in the air. (The noun clause in boldface is used in apposition to the noun `question`.)

Noun clause as the object of a preposition:

1. He is looking forward to what the members of the jury will decide. (The noun clause in boldface is used as objegt of the preposition `to`.)
2. The lady was worried about whether or not the insurance company would pay for her damaged car. (The noun clause in boldface is used as object of the preposition `about`.) 

Contoh Kalimat Noun Clouse

1.        That Mrs. July is a good Doctor

2.        The truth is that Gina was not very smart

3.        That the planet Earth is round is well known

4.        Can you tell me if Nisa is here?

5.        We are all afraid that the final exam will be difficult

6.        The fact that Doni always comes late doesn’t surprise me

7.        She suggested that I read the book

8.        Boby told me that he had finished breakfast

9.        They always work hard to accomplish what they want

10.      He wants to learn about whatever is interesting

Referensi:

http://taniajunianti.blogspot.com/2012/04/definisi-noun-clause-contohnya.html

http://catatanbahasainggris.blogspot.com/2009/11/noun-clauses.html

http://www.wordsmile.com/noun-clause

www.gunadarma.ac.id