Download Noun clauses

Nominals
One-word Nouns,
Noun Phrases,
Noun Clauses
Ch 7
Noun functions in a sentence I

Subject of the verb
 Two

girls made the team.
Object of the verb or verbal
–
direct object
 While
we were cooking dinner, John rang the
doorbell, interrupting our evening together.
–
indirect object
 We
taught her the facts she needed to pass
the test.
Ch 7
Noun functions in a sentence II

Object of a preposition
I

placed a flowerpot on the windowsill.
Subject complement
 After

Object complement
 His

years of study, she became a physician.
teacher made him the hall monitor.
Appositive (noun in apposition)
 My
sister Catherine called me yesterday.
Ch 7
Noun Phrases--Gerunds

Gerunds are formed from the present
participle, or “ing” form of the verb, and are
part verb and part noun.
–
–
Like verbs, they have subjects, objects,
complements, and may be modified by adverbs
Like nouns, they may be subjects, direct objects,
complements, appositives, objects of
prepositions, and may be modified by adjectives
Ch 7
Tense and Voice in Gerunds

Gerunds have two tenses and both voices
–
present tense and active voice

–
present tense and passive voice

–
Being held responsible for your errors angered me.
past tense and active voice

–
Holding me responsible for your errors will hurt you.
Having held me responsible for your errors cost you.
past tense and passive voice

Having been held responsible for your errors was
unfortunate for my career.
Ch 7
Gerund as subject

Running two laps daily is good for you.
Running | laps
is
good
you
Main clause—pattern 2; gerund phrase—pattern 7
Ch 7
Gerund as direct object

He made winning the election his top priority.
winning
He
made
election
priority
Main clause—pattern 10; gerund phrase—pattern 7
Ch 7
Gerund as Subject Complement

Good preparation for a career on stage is
interning with an off-Broadway company.
interning
preparation
is
company
career
stage
Main clause—pattern 3; gerund phrase—pattern 6
Ch 7
Gerund as Object of Preposition

By exercising vigorously, she lost 10 lbs.
she
lost
lbs
Main clause—
pattern 7;
gerund phrase—
pattern 6
exercising
Note that this prepositional phrase could be read adverbially
Ch 7
Gerund as noun in apposition

Our top concern, being flat broke, was not
easily solved by her patronizing advice.
Main clause—
pattern 7 passive;
gerund phrase—
pattern 2
being
concern
(
)
was solved
advice
Ch 7
Noun Phrases—Infinitives

Infinitives are formed from the base form of
the verb, and are part verb and part noun.
–
–
–
Like verbs, they have subjects, objects,
complements, and may be modified by adverbs
Like nouns, they may be subjects, direct objects,
complements, appositives, and may be modified
by adjectives
Unlike gerunds, infinitives are rarely object
complements or indirect objects or objects of
prepositions
Ch 7
Infinitive as Subject or Direct object

To be a teacher is her ambition.
–
–

Main clause—pattern 3
infinitive phrase—pattern 3
John really wanted to give her a Mt. Everest
climbing vacation.
–
–
Main clause—pattern 7
Infinitive phrase—pattern 8
Ch 7
Infinitives as subject complements or
appositives

His solution to his mother’s cancer is to be a
research physician and find a cure.
–
–

Main clause—pattern 3
Infinitive phrases—”to be” is pattern 3 and “(to)
find” is pattern 7
His burning ambition, to star on Broadway,
was not realized.
–
–
Main clause—pattern 7 passive
Infinitive phrase—pattern 6
Ch 7
Noun clauses


Noun clauses are dependent clauses with
their own subject and verb and sentence
pattern, yet they are embedded in the main
clause and fill a sentence slot in the main
clause.
When working with embedded noun clause,
FIND THE VERB in the main clause first.
Ch 7
Noun clause as subject in main clause

Why I bother to study for tests I always
fail is a mystery to me.
I
fail
(that)
study
I
bother
tests
is
Main clause—pattern 3; noun clause—
pattern 7; adj clause—pattern 7;
infinitive phrase—pattern 6
mystery
me
Ch 7
Noun clause as Direct object in main
clause

My sister always wanted whatever I had just
purchased.
–
Main clause—pattern 7; noun clause—pattern 7



“whatever is DO in noun clause
Entire noun clause “whatever . . . purchased” is DO in
main clause.
Sentences containing noun clauses need not
have main clauses that can stand alone as
independent sentences
Ch 7
Noun clause as subject complement in
main clause

Your erroneous belief is that violence will not
cause more bloodshed.
–

This noun clause begins with the expletive “that”:
–
–

Main clause—pattern 3; noun clause—pattern 7
“that” has no function in the noun clause
For example, in the noun clause above “violence” is the
subject and “bloodshed” the DO of the clause
Noun clause can also begin with interrogatives—
why, how, what, where, when, who, whose, whom
–
These interrogatives always have a function in the noun
clause
Ch 7
Noun clause as appositive

The sorority’s spring vacation destination,
wherever college boys hang out, was hotly
debated by the members.
–
Main clause—pattern 7 passive; noun clause—
pattern 6
boys
destination
hang out___________
(
)
was debated
members
Ch 7
Noun clause as object of preposition

We should worry about why he has left the
club, as it reflects badly on us.
–
Main clause—pattern 6; noun clause—pattern 7;
adverb clause “as . . . us”—pattern 6
We
should worry
It
he
has left
reflects
us
Ch 7
club