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Nominal (Noun) Clauses

Nominal Clauses

(Forms and Functions of Subordinate Clauses)

 Subordinate clauses can be classified into three main forms based on their functions within a sentence: nominal clauses, relative clauses, and adverbial clauses.    Nominal Clauses (Substantive Clauses): These clauses function as nouns within a sentence. They can serve as the subject, object, or complement of a sentence. Example: What he said surprised everyone. (Nominal clause as the subject)    Relative Clauses (Adjective Clauses): These clauses provide additional information about a noun in the main clause. They are introduced by relative pronouns (e.g., who, which, that). Example: The book that I borrowed from the library is fascinating. (Relative clause providing information about the book)   Adverbial Clauses: These clauses function as adverbs, modifying the main clause by providing information about time, place, manner, condition, etc. They are introduced by subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, although, when, while).  Example: Although it was raining, they decided to go for a walk. (Adverbial clause indicating a contrasting condition.)          

Nine Functions of Nominal Clauses with examples and grammatical explanations:

Nominal clauses perform nominal functions performed by noun phrases:   Subject: A nominal clause can function as the subject of a sentence. Example: What she said is important. (Nominal clause What she said serves as the subject of the sentence.)     Subject Complement: A nominal clause can act as a subject complement, providing additional information about the subject. Example: My goal is to succeed. (Nominal clause to succeed functions as a subject complement.)     Direct Object: A nominal clause can serve as the direct object of a verb. Example: I don't know what happened. (Nominal clause what happened functions as the direct object of the verb know.)     Object Complement: A nominal clause can act as an object complement, providing additional information about the direct object. Example: I found the decision difficult to accept. (Nominal clause difficult to accept functions as an object complement.)     Indirect Object: A nominal clause can function as an indirect object, receiving the action of the verb indirectly. Example: I gave whoever asked for it a chance. (Nominal clause whoever asked for it serves as an indirect object.)      Prepositional Complement: A nominal clause can act as the complement of a preposition, providing more information about the object of the preposition. Example: She is afraid of what might happen. (Nominal clause what might happen functions as a prepositional complement.)     Adjective Phrase Complement: A nominal clause can serve as a complement to an adjective, providing more information about the adjective. Example: I am happy that you are here. (Nominal clause that you are here functions as an adjective phrase complement.)     Noun Phrase Complement: A nominal clause can act as a complement to a noun, providing additional information about the noun. Example: I have a belief that honesty is important. (Nominal clause that honesty is important functions as a noun phrase complement.)     Appositive: A nominal clause can function as an appositive, providing further explanation or identification of a noun. Example: My friend, whoever needs help, can always rely on me. (Nominal clause whoever needs help functions as an appositive to my friend.)          

Nominal Roles of Gerund Clauses:

Gerund clauses are clauses that use the gerund form of a verb (the -ing form) and function as nouns. The gerund clauses fill nominal roles, showing their versatility as subjects, direct objects, subject complements, objects of prepositions, indirect objects, and object complements within sentences. Gerund clauses are particularly useful when a continuous or ongoing action needs to be emphasized in a sentence.   Examples for gerund clauses serving different functions:   Subject: A gerund clause can function as the subject of a sentence. Running in the morning is refreshing. (Gerund clause Running in the morning serves as the subject of the sentence.)   Direct Object: A gerund clause can act as the direct object of a verb. She enjoys reading novels. (Gerund clause reading novels functions as the direct object of the verb enjoys.)    Subject Complement: A gerund clause can serve as a subject complement, providing additional information about the subject. His favorite activity is swimming. (Gerund clause swimming functions as a subject complement.)   Object of Preposition: A gerund clause can function as the object of a preposition.  He succeeded by working hard. (Gerund clause working hard acts as the object of the preposition by.)   Indirect Object:  Sarah paid little attention to her colleague's presenting at the conference. (The gerund clause her colleague's presenting at the conference serves as the indirect object of the verb paid, while little attention is the direct object.)   Object Complement: A gerund clause can act as an object complement, providing additional information about the direct object. They considered his singing a beautiful song. (Gerund clause his singing functions as an object complement.)          

That&Infinitive Clauses as Nominal Clauses:

Both That Clauses and Infinitive Clauses are types of nominal clauses. Nominal clauses are clauses that function as nouns within a sentence, and they can serve various roles, such as subjects, objects, or complements.   In the case of That Clauses, the clause introduced by that functions as a single unit, often acting as a noun in the sentence, taking on roles like subject, direct object, or subject complement.   In the case of Infinitive Clauses, the infinitive phrase (to + base form of the verb) functions as a nominal unit, often acting as a noun in the sentence. It can take on roles such as subject, direct object, or subject complement.       That&Infinitive Clauses in the context of filling the functions of subjects, direct objects, and subject complements.   That Clauses: Subject: That he arrived early surprised everyone.   Direct Object: I believe that honesty is the best policy.   Subject Complement: The challenge is that it requires a lot of effort."       Infinitive Clauses: Subject: To solve complex problems requires creativity.   Direct Object: She wants to learn a new language   Subject Complement: His dream is to become a successful entrepreneur.          

Bare Infinitive as a Nominal Clause:

The bare infinitive, also known as the base form of the verb without the to particle, can indeed function as a nominal clause, particularly filling the role of a direct object. Direct Object: She made him eat vegetables. (Bare infinitive eat functions as the direct object of the verb made.)          

Nominal Roles of Indirect/Embedded Questions:

Indirect questions, also known as embedded questions, are questions that are incorporated into a larger sentence as part of a statement or another question. Indirect questions can fulfill various nominal roles within a sentence, including subjects, direct objects, and subject complements.   Indirect Question as a Subject: Whether we should proceed is unclear.   Indirect Question as a Direct Object: I don't know what the answer is.   Indirect Question as a Subject Complement: The mystery is whether they will attend.          

Nominal Relative Clauses (Headless Clauses):

Nominal relative clauses, also known as headless clauses, function as complete noun phrases within a sentence. They can serve various roles, including subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and object complements in the main clause.    Subject of the Main Clause: Whoever arrives early will get the best seats. (Nominal relative clause Whoever arrives early serves as the subject of the main clause.)   Direct Object of the Main Clause: I will support whatever decision you make. (Nominal relative clause whatever decision you make functions as the direct object of the main clause.)   Indirect Object in the Main Clause: She gave whichever book you prefer to her friend. (Nominal relative clause whichever book you prefer serves as the indirect object in the main clause.)    Object of a Preposition in the Main Clause: We had a discussion about what was said in the meeting. (Nominal relative clause what was said in the meeting serves as the object of the preposition about.)   Object Complement in the Main Clause: I found the answer to be whatever suited the situation. (Nominal relative clause whatever suited the situation functions as the object complement in the main clause.)                 Nominal (Noun) Clauses Subordinate Clauses Complex Sentences Types of Interrogative Sentences What is a predicate? Predicate Types Read the full article

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