|
|
|
Noun Clauses Perhaps you heard or read words like 'phrase' or 'clause' and wondered what they are and what they mean. Wonder no longer; this lesson will introduce you to these language terms. We will also examine how questions are formed in English. This is particularly important because English may be a little different from other languages. For example, Spanish may depend on the music of the language to create a question. English depends on the word order, as the verb must always come before the subject in order to form a question. We will also examine the difference between a phrase and a clause, and we will review the noun clauses, what they are, how they are formed in a sentence. Grammar terminology: A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and a verb. In English, verbs are often followed by objects. The object is usually a noun phrase.
Notice that 'his address' is just a group of words that does not contain a subject and a verb. A clause, on the other hand, is a group of related words that contains a subject and a verb. Some verbs can be followed by a noun clause.
Notice that 'where he lives' is a clause because it contains a subject (he) and a verb (lives). Notice also that 'where he lives is the object of the verb 'know'. Chapter Two Types of clauses: There are two types of clauses: dependent and independent. A dependent clause is one that cannot stand alone as a sentence. It must depend on another clause that is independent. An independent clause is a group of related words that contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence. Questions vs. Statements: Let us review some basics of English grammar. We said in lesson two that sentences in English have special format, subject + verb + complement.
So, again let us focus on this structure one more time. In English all sentences are formed in the same way, subject + verb + complement. The verb is always after the subject.
Notice that the verb comes before the subject. So, in questions we place the verb before the subject. The placement of the verb before the subject is what tells us that the form is a question. Remember that it is not the question word that forms a question, it is the position of the verb. Review the following:
In reviewing the above, you will notice that in questions the verb always comes before the subject. It is not the question word that forms a question; it is the position of the verb. Also, remember in lesson two we said that verb 'to do' is used to create questions that have action verbs. We said that verb “to do” is used as an auxiliary verb that helps create questions. For example, one must ask, did you go to school yesterday? And not, “You went to school yesterday?” All questions about actions must include the verb “to do” unless the question is a perfect tense in a progressive form. Notice that in questions which have action verbs the structure is as follows:
Now that we know this structure, understanding the noun clause will be very easy. |
