Noun clause

“ Over rough roads is a prepositional phrase which characterizes run.
A prepositional phrase characterizing a noun is called an adjective prepositional phrase. One characterizing a verb is called an adverbial prepositional phrase.
Subordinate Clauses
A clause is any part of a sentence consisting of a subject in the nominative case and a predicate containing a verb in a finite form (not a participle or an infinitive) . Some clauses are used as nouns; others are used to characterize or modify nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. Clauses used as nouns are called noun clauses. ”

“ A subordinate or dependent clause is one which makes a statement depending upon or modifying some word in the principal clause.
Kinds.
372. As to their office in the sentence, clauses are divided into NOUN, ADJECTIVE, and ADVERB clauses, according as they are equivalent in use to nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
Noun Clauses.
373. Noun clauses have the following uses:—
(1) Subject: "That such men should give prejudiced views of America is not a matter of surprise."
(2) Object of a verb, verbal, or the equivalent of a verb: (a) "I confess these stories, for a time, put an end to my fancies;" ”

“ These are ordinarily subordinating conjunctions, but when introducing noun clauses they should not be considered connectives at all; for a subject does not need to be connected to its predicate, nor a complement to the verb it completes, nor an appositive to the noun it explains. These introductory words serve rather to put the clause into shape, to make it appear as a subordinate part of the sentence.—“‘I wonder if his heart is any softer,’ thought the Fox.”—Froude. ”

“ Each adjective clause is connected to insects by which. And connects the co-ordinate clauses. The second diagram shows that the clause while he tarried modifies both predicates of the independent clauses. While modifies had passed, had escaped, and tarried, as illustrated by the short lines under the first two verbs and the line over tarried. The office of while as connective is shown by the dotted lines. The third diagram illustrates the analysis of a complex sentence containing a compound noun clause.
1. Sin has a great many tools, but a lie is a handle which fits them all. ”

“ Uses of the Substantive Clause.—As a sentence-element it has most of the important uses of the noun.
1. Subject of a verb,—“What is true of individual men is true also of races.”—Lowell. Frequently, for the sake of a more pleasing arrangement, the anticipative subject it is used, and the real subject, a noun clause, is placed after the predicate,—“It matters little what virtues a man has, if he is habitually inexact.” ”

“ Tell the construction (as subject, predicate nominative, object, etc.) of each noun clause in § 392. Mention the simple subject and predicate of each clause.
EXERCISE 48
(§§ 395–402, pp. 163–165)
1. Tell whether each of the subordinate clauses expresses place, time, cause, or concession. Is the clause adjective or adverbial? What introduces it? What does it modify?
1. Though often misled by prejudice and passion, he was emphatically an honest man. 2. When a prisoner first leaves his cell, he cannot bear the light of day. 3. ”

“ If we say forgetful of the fact, we see that the noun clause means the same as fact and has the same office. What two long noun clauses aroused to complete should remember? What conjunction introduces each of these clauses? What conjunction joins them together? What mark of punctuation between? If one of these noun clauses were not itself divided into clauses by the comma, would the semicolon be needed? The clause beyond ... stomach goes with what word? When ... stomach modifies what verb? Classify the sentences of this paragraph as simple, complex, or compound. ”

“ In the first two examples, the noun clause is the subject; in the last two, it is the object of a verb (feared, expect) .
386. Noun clauses may be used in any of the more important constructions of nouns:— (1) as subject, (2) as direct object of a transitive verb, (3) in apposition with a substantive, (4) as a predicate nominative.
That Milton was spared has often caused surprise. [Subject.] Brutus said that Cæsar was a tyrant. [Object of said.] Cæsar commanded that the prisoners should be spared. [Object.] I wish that you would work harder. [Object.] ”

“ It begins with a long compound noun clause (consisting of nine coördinate that-clauses) . This would be the subject of the main predicate verb were, but for the fact that the pronoun these is inserted to act as the subject (referring back to the compound noun clause and summing it up in a single word) . To the complement things is attached the adjective clause which excited ... contempt. This clause is complex, for it contains three adjective clauses, (1) from which they had sprung (modifying class) , (2) into which ... themselves (modifying that) , and (3) which is ... ”

“ By supplying of the fact, the noun clause will become explanatory.
16. We are all anxious that the future shall bring us success and triumph. 17. The Sandwich Islander is confident that the strength and valor of his slain enemy pass into himself.
* * * * *
LESSON 73. COMPOSITION—NOUN CLAUSE. +COMMA—RULE.—The Noun Clause used as attribute complement is generally set off by the comma.+
+Remarks+.—Present usage seems to favor the omission of the comma with the clause used as subject or as object complement, except where the comma would contribute to clearness. ”

“ In both constructions, the 'that' clause, supplemented or introduced by 'it', gives us the subject of a predication, the relative clause (with it) being equivalent to a pure noun, the conjunction clause to a verbal noun in apposition, partly retaining its verbal character. In both, also, the predication answers an imaginary question, recorded distinctly in the relative, less distinctly in the conjunction clause. ”

“ Clauses within the noun clause should be disposed of after the rest of the noun clause has been analyzed.
A direct quotation is frequently introduced into a sentence to fulfill the office of a noun clause. In structure and form it is like an independent proposition, but in function it is subordinate; for example, “The first and [Pg 52] last and closest trial question to any living creature is, “What do you like?”—Ruskin.
Notice that this sentence is declarative though the quotation is interrogative.
Exercise 8
Analyze the following sentences:—
1. ”

“ The substantival clause.
Subordinate clauses are sentences containing a subject and predicate, but serving the purpose in the main sentence (to which they are sometimes joined by a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun, but sometimes without any separate and visible link) of single words, namely, of noun, adjective, or adverb; they are called respectively substantival, adjectival, or adverbial clauses. Examples:
Substantival. He asked what I should do. (my plan, noun)
Adjectival. The man who acts honestly is respected. ”

“ And since an adverb cannot modify a noun, the “when released” clause cannot modify “alien.” Again, what modifies (and in that sense “describe [s] ”) the noun “alien” are the adjectival clauses that appear in subparagraphs (A) – (D) .
Respondents and the dissent contend that this grammatical point is not the end of the matter–that an adverb can “describe” a person even though it cannot modify the noun used to denote that person. See post, at 5–6 (opinion of Breyer, J.) . But our interpretation is not dependent on a rule of grammar. ”

“ No less than, a coördinating conjunction, 107. No matter, introducing clause of concession, 83; remaining after an ellipsis, 222. No wonder, 222. None the less, 193. None the worse, 193. Not, as an abridgment of a proposition, 223. Notwithstanding, introducing clause of concession, 84. Now that, introducing clause of time, 56. Object, direct, a noun clause, 43; nature of, 169; cognate, 172; reflexive, 173; of preposition, 151; a noun clause, 45. Objective complement, function of, 179; a noun clause, 44; gerund, 141; participle, 182, note ”

“ A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses (The dog barks, and the thief runs) . Substantive.A noun or a word standing in place of a noun. (The king summoned parliament. The bravest are the tenderest. She was inconsolable.) A substantive phrase is a phrase used as a noun. (From Dan to Beersheba is a term for the whole of Israel.) A substantive clause is a clause used as a noun. (That he owed the money is certain.) Syntax.Construction; the grammatical relation between the words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. Verbal.Any form of the verb used as another part of speech. ”

“ Adjective clauses also serve to construct compound proper names, though, unlike noun clauses, they are not sufficient by themselves for this purpose. These adjective clauses are to be regarded as equivalent to adjectives. Instead of 'the square root of 4 which is smaller than 0', one can also say 'the negative square root of 4'. We have here the case of a compound proper name constructed from the expression for a concept with the help of the singular definite article. This is at any rate permissible if the concept applies to one and only one single object. ”

“ Who was little used as a relative till about the sixteenth century. Bain says: "In modern use, more especially in books, who is frequently employed to introduce a clause intended to restrict, define, limit, or explain a noun (or its equivalent) ; as, 'That is the man who spoke to us yesterday.'"
"Here the clause introduced by who is necessary to define or explain the antecedent the man; without it, we do not know who the man is. Such relative clauses are typical adjective clauses—i. ”

“ Compound.
A phrase is a combination of words without a predicate and can illustrate, but cannot express an idea, as, Spring returning, the swallow comes.
A clause is a phrase developed, and contains a predicate, as, When spring returns, we may expect the swallow.
THE SIMPLE SENTENCE.
It has now been seen that the simplest sentence we can frame must necessarily consist of at least two words—the subject, which must be a noun or its equivalent; and the predicate, which must be a verb. But a sentence consisting of only two words is in its barest and most rudimentary form. ”

“ Thus, in the sentence, I could not wish John to be him, him is properly in the objective case, since there is an expressed subject of the infinitive, John, which is in the objective case. But in the sentence, I should hate to be he, he is properly in the nominative case, since the only subject that is expressed in the sentence is I, in the nominative case.
Note 3.—Where the relative pronoun who (whom) is the subject of a clause that itself is the object clause of a verb or a preposition, it is always in the nominative case. ”

“ From the above examples it will be seen that the two constructions largely overlap. When (as in 1,2, 5, 8) the relative is subject or direct object of the clause-verb, or is in the possessive case, it cannot be replaced by the conjunction; but when its relation to the clause-verb is marked by a preposition, the conjunction always may take its place, and sometimes must, as in 12 and 13. For the relative clause can only be used when the question reflected in it is calculated to secure the right kind of answer. ”

“ The clauses are therefore said to be coördinate,—that is, of the same “order” or rank, and the sentence is called compound.
In the second example, on the contrary, the relation between the two clauses is indicated with precision. One clause (the train started) makes the main statement,—it expresses the chief fact. Hence it is called the main (or principal) clause. The other clause (when the bell rang) is added because the speaker wishes to modify the main verb (started) by defining the time of the action. This clause, then, is used as a part of speech. ”

“ Sometimes a subordinate clause is such only in its external form, and in sense is principal. It then takes the Infinitive with Subject Accusative. This occurs especially in case of relative clauses, where quī is equivalent to et hīc, nam hīc, etc. ”

“ If a parenthetic clause is inserted where a comma is required in the principal sentence, a comma should be placed before each of the dashes inclosing such clause. (See last paragraph on p. 90) .
I should like to undertake the Stonyshire side of that estate,—it’s in a dismal condition,—and set improvements on foot.
35. Several clauses having a common dependence, are separated by a comma and a dash from the clause on which they depend.
To think that we have mastered the whole problem of existence; that we have discovered the secret of creation ”

“ When the members of a compound sentence are complex, they are subdivided into clauses; as, Virtue leads to honor, and insures true happiness; but vice degrades the understanding, and is succeeded by infamy."--Allen's Gram., p. 128. By some authors, the terms clause and phrase are often carelessly confounded, each being applied with no sort of regard to its proper import. Thus, where L. Murray and his copyists expound their text about "the pupil's composing frequently," even the minor phrase, "composing frequently," is absurdly called a clause ”

“ It is usually best not to have more than three clauses at the beginning and even three must be handled with great care. Three clauses at the beginning, if at all long, bury the speaker's name too deeply and may become too complicated. Unless the clauses are very closely related in idea, it is usually better not to use more than two. Naturally when more than one that-clause is used in the lead, all of the clauses must be gathered together at the beginning; never should one precede and one follow the principal verb. ”