Words that begin noun clauses

Choose the opening word by the kind of information the clause carries.

Starts with	Use	Example
that	A fact or opinion	She said that the shop was closed.
what, who, where, when, why, how	A hidden wh- question	I don't know where she lives.
if or whether	A hidden yes or no question	He asked whether I was free.
whatever, whoever	Any thing or person	You can invite whoever you like.

Jobs a noun clause can do

A noun clause sits wherever a noun could sit.

Job	Example (clause in bold)
Subject	What she said surprised everyone.
Object of a verb	I think that you are right.
Complement after be	The problem is that we have no time.
Object of a preposition	We talked about what we should do next.

Word order and the it pattern

A noun clause that comes from a question uses statement word order: subject first, then verb. "Where does he work?" becomes "I don't know where he works", not "where does he work".

A that clause as subject sounds heavy: "That the plan failed is clear." English usually moves it to the end and puts it in front: "It is clear that the plan failed."

You can often drop that after verbs such as think, say and know: "I think (that) you're right." Keep it in formal writing if the sentence is long.

Common mistakes

Wrong: I don't know what is his name.
Right: I don't know what his name is.
A noun clause uses statement word order: subject, then verb.
Wrong: She asked me that if I was coming.
Right: She asked me if I was coming.
Use if or whether for a yes or no question, without that.
Wrong: What he said it was true.
Right: What he said was true.
The clause is already the subject. Don't add it.
Wrong: Can you tell me where does the bus stop?
Right: Can you tell me where the bus stops?
Remove does and use statement order inside the noun clause.

Using this in IELTS and PTE

Noun clauses are common in IELTS Task 2 and PTE Write Essay openings: "It is often argued that cities should ban cars" or "Whether this policy works depends on funding." They also help in IELTS Speaking when you need time: "I'm not sure why that is, but..." The most frequent error is question word order inside the clause, so check every wh- clause.

5 questions

Exercise

Try each one, then open it to check your answer.

1. Correct this: "I wonder where is my phone."
I wonder where my phone is.
Statement word order inside the clause.
2. What job does the clause do? "Why he left is a mystery."
Subject.
It is the subject of is.
3. Report this: "Do you live here?" She asked me ___.
if I lived there (or whether I lived there)
A yes or no question becomes an if or whether clause.
4. Rewrite with it: "That prices will rise is likely."
It is likely that prices will rise.
Move the that clause to the end and use it as the subject.
5. Choose: "The truth is (that / what) nobody checked."
that
That introduces a full fact. What would need a gap in the clause.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a noun clause and an adjective clause?+

A noun clause replaces a noun ("I know what you mean"). An adjective clause describes a noun ("the book that you lent me"). That can start both, so check the job the clause does.

Is it if or whether?+

Both work for yes or no questions in most sentences. Use whether after a preposition ("It depends on whether..."), before to ("whether to go"), and as a subject at the start of a sentence.

Can I leave out that in a noun clause?+

Yes, after common verbs such as think, say, know and believe. You can't leave it out when the clause is the subject at the start of a sentence.

Keep going

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