Noun Clause
Noun clauses can be introduced by that, wh-words, and if/whether patterns, but the introductory word alone does not define the clause. The practical test is whether the entire subordinate clause occupies a noun phrase position in the larger clause.
A noun clause is a dependent clause that performs a noun-like role, such as subject, object, or complement. Identify it by what the whole clause does in the larger sentence—not merely by seeing “that,” a wh-word, or “if/whether.”
Key details
Important caveats
Boundary
Not every clause beginning with that, who, what, if, or whether is a noun clause; determine the clause’s function in the sentence.
Further guidance
Diagnostic
Locate the subordinate clause, then ask what syntactic job the entire clause performs: subject, object, complement, or another noun-like position.
Word Order
In embedded wh-clauses, use the clause structure required by the embedded construction rather than automatically copying direct-question word order.
Worked Example
In “I know what she chose,” the clause “what she chose” functions as the object of “know,” so it is a noun clause.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Noun Clauses (opens in a new tab)Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning · Yale defines a noun clause as a clause functioning as a noun and shows subject, object, complement, and object-of-preposition functions.
- Reporting verbs with 'that', 'wh-' and 'if' clauses (opens in a new tab)British Council LearnEnglish · British Council documents that-, wh-, and if-clause patterns functioning after reporting verbs, supporting practical recognition and word-order boundaries for noun-like subordinate clauses.