LXXVII. NOUN CLAUSES
307. We have seen that a dependent clause may have the use of an adverb or of an adjective. It may also have another use, as may be seen in the sentence, “Whatever Midas touched with his finger immediately glistened and grew yellow.” If we ask the question, What glistened and grew yellow? we get the answer, Whatever Midas touched with his finger; hence this group of words must be the subject. But this group is a clause, for it contains the subject Midas and the verb touched. A clause used as the subject of a predicate is used like a noun, hence we call it a noun clause.
308. The noun clause has several other uses of a noun besides that of subject. It may be,—
(1) Object of a verb; as, “I think that life would be very dull without meals.”
(2) Subjective complement; as, “The sad part of this tale is that the trouble was not with poor little Quackalina’s eyes at all.”
(3) In apposition; as, “He had a theory that the big horned owl might be tamed.” Here the clause explains the noun theory telling exactly what the theory is. This may seem at first like an adjective clause, but there is a clear difference. We can make a sentence by putting the verb is between the noun theory and the clause. This shows that the two are identical, but we cannot do this with the noun theory and an adjective clause, as in this sentence, “I do not believe in the theory that he sets forth in his book.”
(4) Object of a preposition; as, “Aladdin’s mother listened with surprise to what her son told her.” If you ask the question, listened to what? you get the answer, what her son told her. Therefore, the group of words what her son told her, which is a dependent proposition, must be the object of the preposition to.
(5) Some adjectives, like anxious, aware, careful, certain, glad, hopeful, sorry, and sure, especially when used as subjective complements, are modified by noun clauses that take the place of adverbial prepositional phrases. We may say,—
I am sure of his election.
I am sure that he will be elected.
In the first sentence the adjective sure is modified by the phrase of his election. In the second sentence the adjective sure is modified by the noun clause that he will be elected, which answers the question sure of what? This may be called the adverbial use of the noun clause.
309. Often, when a noun clause is used as subject, it is placed after the predicate, and the sentence begins with the word it; as, “It is curious that almost every nation on earth has some particular traditions regarding the dog.” If we ask the question, what is curious? the answer is not it, for that tells nothing, but the clause. The word it is called an anticipative subject, because it comes before the real subject, and signifies also to the reader that the real subject may be expected after the predicate.
310. The tense of the verb in a noun clause is determined partly by the meaning of the sentence and partly by the tense of the verb in the independent clause. What is the meaning of each of the following sentences, and what is the tense of each verb?
I understand that he builds bridges.
I understand that he will build the bridge.
I understand that he has built the bridge.
I understood that he builds bridges.
I understood that he would build the bridge.
I understood that he had built the bridge.
Summary.—A noun clause is a dependent clause having the use of a noun.
The noun clause may be used adverbially to modify certain adjectives.
The word it may be used as an anticipative subject to throw the real subject, a noun clause, after the verb.
Exercise 1.—Select all the noun clauses, and explain the use of each.
1. Just then a shout from the boys’ tent proclaimed that the twins were awake.
2. There were two summer houses at one end of what we called a park.
3. The probability is very great that the Vikings did land on our coast.
4. What made the little silver teapot so alluring was that it held just enough for two.
5. Be careful how you handle my razor.
6. It so happened that one of his neighbors had two very beautiful daughters.
7. I discovered that the world was not created exclusively on my account.
8. Mr. Cobb had a feeling that he was being hurried from peak to peak of a mountain range without time to take a good breath in between.
9. That supply follows demand is a sure rule of political economy.
10. The truth is that my dancing days are over.
11. In choosing words it is to be remembered that there is not a really poor one in any language.
12. Are you aware that Phio has gone to the hospital?
13. On the very day of his inauguration Jefferson took a step toward what he called simplicity, and what his opponents thought vulgarity.
14. I knew that I was born at the North, but I hoped that nobody in New Orleans would find it out.
15. The Austrian commander noticed this peculiarity about the firing,—that every shot seemed to come from the same place.
16. That the monkeys had stolen the snuffbox was obvious, for both of them were seized with convulsions of sneezing.
17. I am glad that you are going to talk on the peace movement.
18. The disadvantage of being a boy is that it does not last long enough.
19. We are all sorry that some days never come but once.
Exercise 2.—Justify the tense of the verb in the noun clause in each of these sentences—
I know that fever produces thirst.
I knew that tennis is a healthful sport.
I know that the lake will freeze to-night.
I knew that the lake would freeze last night.
I know that my turn comes next.
I knew that my turn came next.
I know that she has heard the news.
I knew that she had heard the news.