Mr. Knight's Class

Noun Clauses

A noun clause is an entire clause which takes the place of a noun in another clause or phrase. Like a noun, a noun clause acts as the subject or object of a verb or the object of a preposition, answering the questions “who(m)?” or “what?”.

Begin with words like WHO, THAT, , WHOM, WHOMEVER, WHAT, WHATEVER, WHERE, WHEREVER

Examples:

Where they are going is unknown.

Whoever broke the vase will have to pay for it.

I know that Latin is no longer spoken as a native language.

Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a dependent clause which takes the place of an adjective in another clause or phrase. Like an adjective, an adjective clause modifies a noun or pronoun, answering questions like “which?” or “what kind of?”

Begin with words like WHO, WHICH, THAT.

Examples:
The meat which they ate was tainted.

We taked about the girl that made him cry.

They are searching for the one who borrowed the book.

Did I tell you about the author whom I met?

Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause is a dependent clause which takes the place of an adverb in another clause or phrase. An adverb clause answers questions such as “when?”, “where?”, “why?”, “with what goal/result?”, and “under what conditions?”.

Begin with many of the SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS ON YOUR LIST.

Examples:
The premier gave a speech where the workers were striking.

They ate after they left the locker room.

If the British co-operate, the Europeans may achieve monetary union.

After Hamlet’s uncle Claudius married Hamlet’s mother, Hamlet wanted to kill him.

Exercises: Label as NOUN, ADVERB, or ADEJECTIVE CLAUSE.

Some people buy expensive cars simply because they can.

Many people hope that Canada can resolve its economic problems.

The bankers need to know what they should do.
Which one is the person who stole your car?

Wherever there is a large American city, there will be poverty.

The books which the professor assigned were very expensive.

Canada might give up its marketing boards if the European Community gives up its grain subsidies.

That is the place where Wolfe’s and Montcalm’s armies fought.

Unless the crown can make a better case, the accused murderer will not be convicted.

It is important to ask whether the wedding is formal or semi-formal.

Although Americans love to travel to foreign countries, they seldom learn to speak other languages.

My sister, who teaches Spanish and Italian in New York, says that she had more students twenty years ago.

She wrote a book about what she has learned over the years.

What she worries about is the general decline in American language-learning skills.

She believes that American families used to take more pride in learning second languages.

The internet, which has become such a global phenomenon, has contributed to the predominance of English.

My sister’s conviction is that American students could use the internet to help them learn other languages.

English is the dominant language on the internet because the American computer industry dominates the rest of the world.

When non-Americans get on the internet, they frequently are trying to improve their English.

What computers have meant to language learning has surprised just about everyone in the academic world.