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c. Noun Clauses
Noun clauses are clauses whose function is the same as a noun. Noun clauses can be the subject, object, complement, appositive, and prepositional
complement Greenbaum and Quirk, 1990: 304. Besides, Frank 1972: 283 classifies noun clauses into four types based on the kinds of sentences they
derived from; that is, statements, questions, requests, and exclamation. The first type is noun clauses that are derived from statements. The
conjunction for this type of clause is that Frank, 1972: 286. The example is: 24
That the driver could not control his car was obvious Close, 1977: 43. That complex sentence is derived from two sentences. They are:
25 The driver could not control his car.
26 It was obvious.
Sentence 25 is a statement. Therefore, it should be preceded by conjunction that to be a noun clause functioning as the subject of the main clause. That can be
omitted in clause that functions as the object, especially in informal situation, but it should remain if the clause functions as the subject Frank, 1972: 291.
The second type is noun clauses that are derived from questions. This type of clause is classified into two types based on the form of the question. One is
question introduced by a question word, and the other is yes-no question. If the question is preceded by a question word, the question word itself that functions as
the connector Frank, 1972: 293.
27 Question: What caused the accident?
28 What caused the accident is a complete mystery Close, 1977: 48.
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Meanwhile, if and whether are used for yes-no question Azar, 1989: 268.
29 Question: Does he need help?
30 I wonder whether he needs help Azar, 1989: 268.
One thing that is very important when changing a question into a noun clause is the word order. If in a question the subject and verb are inverted, where
the verb precedes the subject, then in noun clause subject-verb inversion is not needed. Frank 1972: 297 states that the subject and verb are put immediately
after the connector. In addition to that, the words do, does, and did should be
omitted because they are not used in noun clause Azar, 1989: 264. The third type is noun clauses that are derived from request. This type of
clause usually functions as the object of the verb, and is introduced by the connector that Frank, 1972: 297. The following is the example.
31 He urged that the matter should go to arbitration Thomson and
Martinet, 1986: 305. The fourth is noun clauses that are derived from exclamation. This can be
introduced by what and how Greenbaum and Quirk, 1990: 309. The example is:
32 I hadn’t realized what a pretty girl she was Frank, 1972: 61.
2. The Finite and the Non-finite Clauses