This post contains three types of exercises on noun clause:
1. Identify noun clause
In each exercise, identify noun clause and its position in the sentence. Position could be subject, direct object, indirect object, object of preposition, subject complement, object complement, noun complement or appositive, and adjective complement. Not all sentences will have a noun clause.
Learn more: How to identify a noun clause?
Exercise1
1. That she will finish in top three is certain.
2. That is the method that will be used for the experiment.
3. Which route we should take depends on the traffic.
4. Which route is the quickest to get to the airport?
5. You wouldn’t believe how stunning the view was.
6. The truth is that he was caught red-handed.
7. We hope the weather improves for the weekend.
8. The belief that hard work pays off is widely held.
9. The belief that was held for decades about the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods is being challenged by new research.
10. They inquired into when the event is scheduled.
1. That she will finish in top three is certain. [Subject]
2. That is the method that will be used for the experiment. [It’s a relative clause.]
3. Which route we should take depends on the traffic. [Subject]
4. Which route is the quickest to get to the airport? [It’s not a dependent clause. It’s an interrogative sentence.]
5. You wouldn’t believe how stunning the view was. [Direct object of verb]
6. The truth is that he was caught red-handed. [Sentence complement]
7. We hope (that) the weather improves for the weekend. [Direct object of verb. That has been dropped here.]
8. The belief that hard work pays off is widely held. [Appositive]
9. The belief that was held for decades about the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods is being challenged by new research. [It’s a relative clause. If you can’t differentiate between 8 and 9, read appositive vs. relative clause.]
10. They inquired into when the event is scheduled. [Object of preposition]
Exercise 2
1. That dog is the one that barks loudly every morning.
2. Who will be the keynote speaker at the conference?
3. It’s a relief to everyone that she passed the exam.
4. They discussed how the team achieved such high sales.
5. Who will lead the team has been decided.
6. I forgot to ask if he would accept the job offer.
7. They announced the project will be delayed.
8. Fitness trackers are popular for their detailed stats, a comprehensive overview that shows you how well you’re doing in terms of your daily steps, calories burned, and active minutes.
9. The Environmental Research Institute, the non-profit organization that conducted majority of studies on which this report relies, states on its website that the primary objective of the initiative is to achieve a significant reduction in carbon emissions over the next decade.
10. The report suggested that we need to analyze the data thoroughly and that we should implement the new strategies immediately.
1. That dog is the one that barks loudly every morning. [It’s a relative clause.]
2. Who will be the keynote speaker at the conference? [It’s an interrogative sentence.]
3. It’s a relief to everyone that she passed the exam.
[Subject. The reason you don’t see subject at the beginning of the sentence is that the noun clause has been extraposed. If you extrapose a subject, you move it to the end of the main clause and replace it by dummy subject it. The original sentence was That she passed the exam is a relief to everyone.]
4. They discussed how the team achieved such high sales. [Direct object of verb]
5. Who will lead the team has been decided. [Subject]
6. I forgot to ask if he would accept the job offer. [Direct object of non-finite verb to ask]
7. They announced (that) the project will be delayed. [Direct object of verb. That has been dropped here.]
8. Fitness trackers are popular for their detailed stats, a comprehensive overview that shows you how well you’re doing in terms of your daily steps, calories burned, and active minutes. [Direct object of verb]
9. The Environmental Research Institute, the non-profit organization that conducted majority of studies on which this report relies, states on its website that the primary objective of the initiative is to achieve a significant reduction in carbon emissions over the next decade. [Direct object of verb]
10. The report suggested that we need to analyze the data thoroughly and that we should implement the new strategies immediately. [Two noun clauses forming a compound direct object of verb]
Exercise 3
1. That’s yet another reason for why we should get vaccinated.
2. These four charts that have not been fully updated show who is ahead in the race to best year-end performance.
3. Or maybe you suddenly notice that the car needs washing, the bills need paying, your garden needs weeding — or perhaps you should take a break and read a book, even though it’s still early in the day?
4. She wondered why the marketing campaign failed, but we soon discovered that the target audience wasn’t engaged. It’s clear that changes in strategy are necessary, and no one doubts how important timing is for the next launch. The question is how they’ll adjust their approach moving forward.
5. He assumed his proposal would be accepted without hesitation, but they told him the board needs more time to review it. It’s obvious his confidence was shaken when he realized (they weren’t as enthusiastic as he hoped). Now, he’s worried the delay might affect the timeline.
1. That’s yet another reason for why we should get vaccinated. [Object of preposition]
2. These four charts that have not been fully updated show who is ahead in the race to best year-end performance. [Direct object of verb]
3. You suddenly notice that the car needs washing, the bills need paying, your garden needs weeding. [Three noun clauses forming compound direct object of verb. Note that that has been used only once as it’s common to all three.]
4. She wondered why the marketing campaign failed, but we soon discovered that the target audience wasn’t engaged. It’s clear that changes in strategy are necessary, and no one doubts how important timing is for the next launch. The question is how they’ll adjust their approach moving forward. [Direct object of verb/ Direct object of verb/ Adjective complement/ Direct object of verb/ Subject complement]
5. He assumed his proposal would be accepted without hesitation, but they told him the board needs more time to review it. It’s obvious that his confidence was shaken when he realized (they weren’t as enthusiastic as he hoped). Now, he’s worried the delay might affect the timeline.
[Direct object of verb (that omitted)/ Direct object of verb (that omitted)/ Subject/ Direct object of verb (that omitted)/ Adjective complement (that omitted). The subject is an extraposed subject. The third noun clause (that) his confidence…hoped contains fourth, in parenthesis, (that) they weren’t…hoped.]
2. Are these statements about noun clause true or false?
In this exercise, ten statements have been made about noun clause. Mark each as true or false.
Exercise 4
1. An interrogative clause modifies a noun phrase.
2. A that-clause can be formed by adding that to a declarative sentence.
3. The answer to a wh-interrogative clause can be yes or no.
4. That-clause can’t be object of preposition.
5. A noun clause can be indirect object of a verb.
6. A noun clause can be object complement.
7. A noun clause can be appositive.
8. When a noun clause occupies subject position, it is usually extraposed.
9. Of all nominal positions, subject is the most likely position for a noun clause.
10. Word order of a direct and indirect question is same when wh-word is direct object of the clause.
1. False. Only a relative clause can modify a noun phrase. Interrogative clause, a noun clause, can only occupy nominal slots such as subject, object, and complement in a sentence.
2. True
3. False. The answer to a yes-no interrogative clause, which are introduced by if and whether, can be yes or no. Wh-interrogative clause, on the other hand, require some content as answer. Example: I don’t know where he is at the moment. The answer to the underlined wh-interrogative clause can’t be yes or no.
4. True. This, for example, wouldn’t work: They were surprised by that he completed the task so quickly.
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. True. A noun clause in subject position is usually extraposed: It is moved to the end of the main clause and replaced by dummy subject it. We extrapose because sentences with long subject don’t sound as well as those with long predicate. So, How he completed the project on time amazed everyone is better written as It amazed everyone how he completed the project on time.
9. False. Direct object is the most likely position for a noun clause.
10. False. Word order of a direct and indirect question is same when wh-word is subject of the clause. This question was bit advanced.
3. Write noun clause
Convert one of the two sentences into a noun clause and embed it into the other sentence. You may learn how to do this in the post on how to write noun clause.
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Exercise 5
1. The thieves didn’t touch the valuables. The police were surprised to find this.
2. The project was completed early. This impressed the manager.
3. They will succeed. She believes this.
4. Who stole the painting? This remains a mystery.
5. Whom will they choose as the new CFO? The board decided it.
6. We don’t have enough resources. The problem is this.
7. Which route should he take? The driver asked me that.
8. The budget needs revision. The committee acknowledged this.
9. He never received the invitation. The truth is this.
10. Can the company secure enough funding for the new project in the next quarter? Her promotion depends on this.
1. The thieves didn’t touch the valuables. The police were surprised to find this.
Step 1: that the thieves didn’t touch the valuables
Step 2: The police were surprised to find this that the thieves didn’t touch the valuables.
2. The project was completed early. This impressed the manager.
Step 1: that the project was completed early
Step 2: That the project was completed early That impressed the manager.
3. They will succeed. She believes this.
Step 1: that they will succeed
Step 2: She believes this that they will succeed.
4. Who stole the painting? This remains a mystery.
Step 1: who stole the painting
Step 2: Who stole the painting This remains a mystery.
5. Whom will they choose as the new CFO? The board decided it.
Step 1: whom they will choose as the new CFO
Step 2: The board decided it whom they will choose as the new CFO.
6. We don’t have enough resources. The problem is this.
Step 1: that we don’t have enough resources
Step 2: The problem is this that we don’t have enough resources.
7. Which route should he take? The driver asked me that.
Step 1: which route he should take
Step 2: The driver asked me that which route he should take.
8. The budget needs revision. The committee acknowledged this.
Step 1: that the budget needs revision
Step 2: The committee acknowledged this that the budget needs revision.
9. He never received the invitation. The truth is this.
Step 1: that he never received the invitation
Step 2: The truth is this that he never received the invitation.
10. Can the company secure enough funding for the new project in the next quarter? Her promotion depends on this.
Step 1: whether the company can secure enough funding for the new project in the next quarter
Step 2: Her promotion depends on this whether the company can secure enough funding for the new project in the next quarter.