2. We can introduce noun clauses with a wh- word (who,
what, where, how, etc.). Like that clauses, wh- noun
clauses can have many different functions in a
sentence. For example:
isn’t important.Why he got mad
subject
(The wh- clause Why he got mad
is the subject.)
I don’t know how old she is.
object of a verb
(The wh- clause how old she is
is the object of a verb.)
3. The question is who knows the most.
subject complement
(The wh- clause who knows the
most is a subject complement.)
I’m not sure what you mean.
adjective complement
(The wh- clause what you mean is
an adjective complement.)
4. Be careful! Wh- clauses do not follow the word order
of wh- questions. The correct word order for a
wh- clause is wh- word + subject + verb.
Notice that a wh- clause can also be the object of a
preposition. This makes wh- clauses different from
most that clauses. For example:
We sometimes call these wh- clauses indirect or
embedded questions.
She was upset about what he said.
object of a preposition
(The wh- clause what he said is the
object of a preposition.)
6. Correct the Common Errors
I wonder where is he.
I wonder where he is.
What is he saying bothers me.
What he is saying bothers me.
The problem is who is she marrying.
The problem is who she is marrying.
They’re not happy about that what you said.
They're not happy about what you said.
