Chapter 12: NOUN CLAUSES: Whether or If
Chapter 12: NOUN CLAUSES: Whether or If
Chapter 12: NOUN CLAUSES: Whether or If
Review Ex. 9
• It is often useful to substitute the pronoun “something” in the place of noun clauses. Then
students replace this pronoun with a clause. For example:
Something was interesting.
I heard something.
What he said was interesting.
䡺 EXERCISE 2, p. 241. Noun clauses beginning with a question word. (Chart 12-2)
Ask students to write the complete sentences on the chalkboard, then use these to identify
the noun clauses, discuss their grammatical function in the sentence, and label the subjects
and verbs in both the independent and dependent clauses.
Be sure students read and say the complete sentence, not only the noun clause, so they
see/hear the whole context.
If your students have difficulty with this exercise, you might suggest that they use a two-
step approach in developing an answer:
䡺 EXERCISE 3, p. 242. Noun clauses beginning with a question word. (Chart 12-2)
This exercise has an uncomplicated pattern and can easily be used for pair work. Tell the
students to substitute the name of a classmate for the ellipsis that appears in parentheses
(. . .).
If you lead the exercise, you might want to change some of the items so that they are
more directly related to experiences in your students’ lives. This exercise can start slowly
and get faster as the students become accustomed to the pattern. There’s no need to rush,
however. Allow spontaneous interchanges to develop if students have interesting things
they want to say. You may wish to select students at random instead of in a predictable
order, or sometimes have the whole class respond in chorus to one or two items for a
change of pace.
Alternative format: Have the students tell you to ask someone else the question.
TEACHER: Where does Ali live?
SPEAKER: I don’t know. Ask Ali/him where he lives.
Or start a chain involving three students.
TEACHER:Maria, what is Ali’s favorite color?
SPEAKER A (Maria): I don’t know. Roberto, ask Ali what his favorite color is.
SPEAKER B (Roberto): Ali, what’s your favorite color?
SPEAKER C (Ali): Blue.
Write the pattern on the board: A: I don’t know. ________, ask _________.
B: __________, __________?
C: (answer)
ANSWERS: I don’t know . . . .
1. where (. . .) lives. 2. what country (. . .) is from. 3. how long (. . .) has been
living here. 4. what (. . .)’s telephone number is. 5. where the post office is.
6. how far it is to (Kansas City). 7. why (. . .) is absent. 8. where my book is.
9. what kind of watch (. . .) has. 10. why (. . .) was absent yesterday. 11. where
(. . .) went yesterday. 12. what kind of government (Italy) has. 13. what (. . .)’s
favorite color is. 14. how long (. . .) has been married. 15. why we are doing this
exercise. 16. who turned off the lights. 17. where (. . .) is going to eat lunch/dinner.
18. when (the semester) ends. 19. where (. . .) went after class yesterday. 20. why
(. . .) is smiling. 21. how often (. . .) goes to the library. 22. whose book that is.
23. how much that book cost. 24. who took my book.
• The word “whether” always implies a choice— in this case, between yes and no.
• To avoid problems with the formal sequence of tenses in noun clauses, the main verbs in any
material you might add or use for examples should not be in a past form until the students
reach Chart 12-7.
• This is an example of language flexibility—two ways to say exactly the same thing. The
emphasis here is on the meaning of the infinitives in this structure.
• Again, as with Chart 12-1, it may be helpful to substitute the pronoun “something” in these
examples:
(c) We know something.
We know (that) the world is round.
(d) Something is obvious.
That she doesn’t understand spoken English is obvious.
• Sentences beginning with a that-clause, such as (d) and (f), are much more common in
written than in spoken English.
• Compare uses of that:
(1) This coat is mine. That coat/that one/that is yours. (That is a demonstrative
adjective/pronoun; pronounced /δæt/ with stress.)
(2) I don’t have a coat. That is a problem in cold weather. (The demonstrative pronoun
“that” refers to a whole sentence. It is pronounced /δæt/ with stress.)
(3) I bought a coat that has a hood. I showed my friend the coat (that) I bought. (That is an
adjective clause pronoun referring to the noun “coat.” It is pronounced /δət/ without
stress.)
(4) I think (that) Bob bought a new hat. (That marks a noun clause and links it to the
independent clause. It refers to nothing. It has no semantic meaning. It is not a
pronoun. It is pronounced /δət/without stress.)
䡺 EXERCISE 12, p. 249. Noun clauses beginning with THAT. (Chart 12-5)
Give the class about three quiet minutes to think of some good ideas for their responses
using it. Then begin the exercise.
SAMPLE RESPONSES: 1. It is a fact that the world is round. That the world is round is a
fact. 2. It is surprising that vegetation can survive in a desert. That vegetation can
survive in a desert is surprising. 3. It is obvious that you need to wear warm clothing
when it’s cold. That you need to wear warm clothing when it’s cold is obvious. 4. It
is too bad that prejudice influences so many people. That prejudice influences so many
people is too bad. 5. It is a well-known fact that women on the average live longer
than men. That women on the average live longer than men is a well-known fact.
6. It is unfortunate that Ali had to miss class due to illness. That Ali had to miss class
due to illness is unfortunate. 7. It is true that alcohol can cause birth defects. That
alcohol can cause birth defects is true. 8. It is strange that we are destroying our
own natural resources. That we are destroying our own natural resources is strange.
9. It is unlikely that you will live to be one hundred. That you will live to be one hundred
is unlikely. 10. It is undeniable that the sun rises in the east. That the sun rises in the
east is undeniable.
䡺 EXERCISE 13, p. 249. Noun clauses beginning with THAT. (Chart 12-5)
Students might produce some interesting personal responses to this exercise. If you think
they are shy about expressing their opinions in class, you could have them write their
responses to be seen only by you. Then you might also respond with your agreement or a
differing point of view, in addition to marking their grammatical structures.
SAMPLE COMPLETIONS: 2. It seems to me that adequate health care is the right of every
citizen. 3. It is my impression that time seems to go faster as I grow older. 4. It is
my theory that excessively thin models encourage eating disorders in young women.
5. It is widely believed that herbs can heal. 6. It is thought that you can’t teach an old
dog new tricks. 7. It has been said that teenagers are more influenced by their peers
than by their parents. 8. Given the number of cars on the road these days, it is a
miracle that more people aren’t killed in automobile accidents.
䡺 EXERCISE 15, p. 250. Noun clauses beginning with THAT. (Chart 12-5)
This exercise contains basics of English rhetoric: topic sentence followed by supporting
sentences. Items 3, 4, and 5 could be turned into full compositions if your students are
interested in the organization of writing.
When discussing item 4 in class, take some time to let the students share the problems
they are having. Ask for completions from several or many students.
SAMPLE COMPLETIONS: 3. One reason is that I want to study at an American university.
Another reason is that I need to pass a written driver’s test. A third reason is that I need to
find a good part-time job. 4. One problem is that I’m homesick. Another problem is
that I can’t understand people when they speak fast. A third problem I have had is that I
am having trouble finding an apartment for my family. 5. One advantage of owning
your own car is that you don’t need to rely on public transportation. Another advantage is
that you can travel into the country on weekends. One disadvantage, however, of owning
your own car is that it is expensive.
䡺 EXERCISE 16, p. 250. Noun clauses beginning with THAT. (Chart 12-5)
ANSWERS: 2. The fact that Rosa didn’t come made me angry. 3. I feel fine except for
the fact that I’m a little tired. 4. Natasha was not admitted to the university due to the
fact that she didn’t pass the entrance examination. 5. The fact that many people in the
world live in intolerable poverty must concern all of us. 6. The fact that Surasuk is
frequently absent from class indicates his lack of interest in school. 7. I was not aware
of the fact that I was supposed to bring my passport to the examination for identification.
8. Due to the fact that the people of the town were given no warning of the approaching
tornado, there were many casualties.
• As an example of the importance of using quotation marks correctly, you might put the
following sentence on the chalkboard and ask students to add punctuation marks:
My dog said Mary needs a new home.
If the punctuation is incorrect, the dog might appear to be speaking!
INCORRECT: My dog said,“Mary needs a new home.”
CORRECT: “My dog,” said Mary,“needs a new home.”
• In the chart, said and asked are used as the reporting verbs. Additional reporting verbs are
cry, exclaim, mutter, reflect, snarl.
• Changes in noun-clause verbs to a past form are sometimes called “the formal sequence of
tenses in noun clauses.”
• Tense usage in noun clauses is by no means as regular and consistent as this chart may
indicate. Rules for sequence of tenses are helpful, but there are many exceptions. Encourage
your students to practice the sequence of tenses as presented in this chart, but accept any
viable responses in the exercises.
• You might have Student A read a quoted speech sentence in the chart, then ask Student B
(book closed) to paraphrase that in reported speech. Invite comments from the class about
the grammatical differences.
• Point out the changes in modals (h–k) from quoted to reported speech, and note the
exceptions in (l).
䡺 EXERCISE 24, p. 257. Reported speech: verb forms in noun clauses. (Chart 12-7)
ANSWERS: 2. [leave for = go to] 3. was going . . . didn’t know . . . worked
4. where the chess match would take . . . hadn’t been decided 5. was . . . didn’t think
. . . would . . . speak . . . was getting . . . would be speaking 6. were . . . might be
. . . could develop
䡺 EXERCISE 30, p. 261. Error analysis: noun clauses. (Charts 12-1 ¡ 12-7)
You might want to let the students know that all of the items in this exercise come from the
written work of students just like them, and that these errors are common. In language
learning, an error in usage is a learning opportunity. Encourage the students to feel good
about their ability to spot and correct these typical noun clause errors, and emphasize that
self-monitoring is an important part of their own writing process.
ANSWERS:
1. Tell the taxi driver where do you want to go.
2. My roommate came into the room and asked me why I wasn’t in class. I told him / said
(that) I was waiting for a telephone call from my family. OR My roommate came into
the room and asked me,“Why aren’t you in class?” I said, “I am waiting for a
telephone call from my family.”
3. It was my first day at the university, and I was on my way to my first class. I wondered
who else would be in the class and what the teacher would be like.
4. He asked me what did I intended to do after I graduated.
5. Many of the people in the United States do not know much about geography. For
example, people will ask you where Japan is located.
6. What does a patient tells a doctor it is confidential.
7. What my friend and I did it was our secret. We didn’t even tell our parents what we
did.
8. The doctor asked whether/if I felt okay. I told him that I didn’t feel well.
9. It is clear that the ability to use a computer it is an important skill in the modern world.
䡺 EXERCISES 35 and 36, p. 264. Using the subjunctive in noun clauses. (Chart 12-8)
Give students a moment to read and think before they answer.
EX. 35 POSSIBLE ANSWERS: 2. call 3. tell 4. speak 5. write/send 6. see
7. contact 8. be
EX. 36 ANSWERS: 1. take 2. be named 3. stay 4. be postponed 5. be
admitted 6. be controlled . . . (be) eliminated 7. have 8. be 9. know
10. be 11. be permitted 12. not be [Note the word order with a negative.]
13. return 14. be built 15. not tell . . . be told
• These words are of fairly low frequency, but deserve a moment’s notice. Concentrate on
meaning here. The text treats these words principally as vocabulary items because the
underlying grammatical structures are complicated.
• Mention that so might be added with no change in meaning: whosoever, whatsoever,
wheresoever, howsoever. This is more common in legal or religious contexts than in everyday
speech or writing.