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MEETING 10
NOUN CLAUSE AND ADVERB CLAUSE

A. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

After studying this meeting, the students will be able to :

10.1 Understand about noun clause
10.2 Understand the strategy of noun clause on TOEFL test
10.3 Understand about adverb clause
10.4 Understand the strategy of adverb clause on TOEFL test

B. MATERIAL DESCRIPTION

Study Objective 10.1:

Understand about Noun Clause

1. NOUN CLAUSE
A noun clause is a subordinate clause. A noun clause has a subject and a verb,
and can be used like a noun, either as a subject or an object.
a. As Subject
His discovery was important.
Noun

His discovery is a noun. It is the subject of the sentence.

What he discovered was important.

Noun clause

What he discovered is a noun clause. It is the subject of the sentence. It has a

subject he and a verb discovered.

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b. As Object
People believed his discovery.
Noun
His discovery is a noun. It is the object of the verb believed.
People believed what he discovered.
Noun clause
What he discovered is a noun clause. It is the object of the verb believed.
Noun clauses are introduced by the following words:
when who/whom whether that
where what if
why which
how whose

c. Noun Clauses Beginning with a Question Word

Question words such as when, where, why, how, who/whom, what, which, and
whose can introduce a noun clause.
Question Noun Clause
1. What did he discover? I don’t know what he discovered.
2. When did he discover it? I’m not sure when he discovered it.
3. Where did he discover it? It is not known where he discovered it.
4. How did he discovery it? I’m not certain how he discovered it.
5. Who is Faraday? I don’t know who he is.
6. Whose discovery is that? It is not certain whose discovery that is.
7. What did he discover? What he discovered is not certain. (What is
The subject of the sentence)

STRATEGY

Do not use question word order in a noun clause. The subject comes before the verb
in a noun clause.

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Noun Clauses Beginning with whether or if

When a yes/no question is changed to a noun clause whether of is used to

Question Noun clause

Will it work? He wonders whether it will work
He wonders if it will work
Did they believe him? l don’t know whether they believed him.
l don’t know believed him
d. Noun Clauses Beginning with That
For a statement of a fact or an idea, the word that is used introduce the noun
clause.
Statement Noun Clause
1. The world is round. We know that the world is round. (That the
world is round is the object of the verb
know).
2. The world is round. We know the world is round. (The word that
is frequently omitted in spoken English).
3. The world is round. That the world is round is a fact. (That the
world is round is the subject of the sentence.
The word that cannot be omitted when it
introduces a noun clause that is the subject of
a sentence).

STRATEGY

A noun clause must have a subject and a verb. Look for a subject and a verb when the
noun clause is the object or the subject of a sentence.

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Study Objective 10.2:

Understand the Noun Clause on TOEFL Test

2. ON TOEFL TEST
A noun clause is a clause that functions as a noun; because the noun clause
functions as a noun, it can be used in a sentence as an object of a verb (if it follows a
verb) or an object of a preposition (if it follows a preposition).

The following example shows how these sentence patterns could be tested in the
Structure section of the TOEFL test

Example
The citizens worry about ____ is doing.
(A) what the government
(B) the government
(C) what
(D) what the government it

In this example, the sentence contains the main subject and verb, the citizens worry, and
it also contains an additional verb, is doing. The sentence needs a subject for the verb is
doing and a connector to join the two clauses. The best answer is answer (A) because it
has the connector what and the subject government. Answer (B) is incorrect because it
does not have a connector. Answer (C) is incorrect because it does not have a subject
for is doing. Answer (D) is incorrect because it has two subjects for is doing.

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Study Objective 10.3:

Understand about adverb clause

An adverb is a subordinate clause (dependent clause) with a subject and a verb. An

adverb clauses may come before or alter the main clause (dependent clause). When it
come before the main clause or the beginning, it is usually separated from the main
clause by a comma.
When Ali looked at the small points, he saw galaxies.
Ali saw galaxies when he looked at the small points.

Adverb Clause Markers

The following are some common words used to introduce an adverb clause.
1. Clause Markers Showing Time :

After by the time until

as once when
before since whenever
as soon as till while

Example:
❖ Meteors glow as they burn up in the atmosphere.
From the example above, as has a function to show the time.

❖ It was difficult to observe the stars before the telescope was

invented.
From the example above, before has a function to show the time.

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3. Clause Markers Showing Manner:

as as it as though just as like

Example:
❖ Ancient people used the stars as if they were calendars.
From the example above, as has a function to show the manner.

❖ The milky way looks as though it is a faint band of light.

From the example above, as though has a function to show the
time.

3. Clause Markers Showing Cause and Effect:

because since as
now that as long as so that

Example:
❖ Spacesuits were designed for astronauts so that they could
breathe in space.
From the example above, so that has a function to show cause
and effect.

4. Clause Markers Showing Opposition:

although while
though whereas
even though

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Example:
❖ Most stars are white while some are colored.
From the example above, while has a function to show
opposition.

❖ Although helium is rare on earth, it is common in the universe.

From the example above, although has a function to show cause
and effect.

5. Clause markers showing condition :

If provided that

Example:
❖ You will see hundreds of stars if you look at the sky.
From the example above, if has a function to show condition.

6. Clause markers showing purpose :

So that in order that so (that) In order to

Example:
❖ Astronomers improved telescopes so that they would discover
more about the stars.
From the example above, so that has a function to show purpose.

7. Clause markers showing result :

So … that such … that

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Example:
The stars are so far away that they cannot be seen without a telescope.
From the example above, so that has a function to show result.

8. Clause markers showing place :

Where wherever everywhere

Example:
❖ There were stars wherever she looked.
From the example above, wherever has a function to show place.

Study Objective 10.4:

Understand the strategy of adverb clause on TOEFL test
1. ON THE TOEFL TEST
Adverb clauses are tested in the Structure part of the exam. In these items, any part
of the adverb clause may be missing from the stem; it may be the clause marker, the
subject, the verb, or other parts of the clause.
It is important to remember the following:
1. An adverb clause contains a subject and a verb.
2. A reduced adverb clause does not contain a subject and a verb.
3. Use the correct clause marker for the adverb clause.
ex: the solar system may seem big, it is a very small part of the universe.
(A) Despite
(B) Although
(C) Even though it
(D) Because
The best answer is (B). (A) is incorrect because despite cannot be used in an adverb
clause that has a subject and a verb. (C) is incorrect because it contains a subject, it,
which is repealed again in the same clause. (D) is incorrect because because it contains
the wrong clause marker, giving reason Instead of concession.

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ex:
Ancient astronomers looked at the stars could make predictions about the future.
(A) they
(B) so
(C) so that they
(D) as they

The best answer is (C).

C. EXERCISE
Exercise 1

Directions: from the four words or phrases (A),(B),(C) OR ,(D), choose the one that
best completes the sentence
1. Astronomers studied the 1987 supernova to learn _____ when a star explodes.
(A) What happens
(B) That happens
(C) That is happen
(D) What does happen
2. Despite recent attempts to prove _____ did indeed reach the North Pole in 1909,
the evidence still remains questionable.
(A) what Robert peary
(B) That Robert peary
(C) Robert peary, who
(D) Robeart peary was
3. Around 1789, Antoine Lavoisler was the first person to demonstrate____ all
kinds of burning involve the edition of oxygen.
(A) if (C) that
(B) what (D) so that

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4. Where_____ is the commonest from of color blindness.

(A) are the red and green not easily distinguished
(B) they are not easily distinguished red and green
(C) are not easily distinguished red and green
(D) red and green are not easily distinguished
5. It has been estimated _____milligram of skin scales have over hall a million
bacteria
(A) that a
(B) how a
(C) a
(D) to be a
6. It is only in the last 200 years______have begun climbing mountains.
(A) because people
(B) that people
(C) people
(D) as peole
7. ______ of smell might without our realizing it, affect who we choose as friends
has been suggested
(A) that our sense
(B) sense
(C) for our sense
(D) because our sense
8. From the existence of radio waves ,most scientists were convinced _____ really
happened
(A) the big bang was
(B) it was the big bang
(C) how the big bang
(D) that the big bang

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9. Samples of rock showed____4600 milion yeasr old

(A) That the moon is
(B) How is the moon
(C) When is the moon
(D) To be the moon
10.____was lowered to the sea bed in a glass container to make observations is
debated.
(A) Alexander the great who
(B) Whether alexander the great
(C) Alexander the great
(D) What alexander the great
11. ____ so incredible is that it can grow 385 miles of roots in four months ,or about
3 miles in a day.
(A) That makes the rye plant
(B) What makes the rye plant
(C) The rye plant
(D) The rye plant which was
12. Science fiction writers believe___ in the future, with new material and greater
knowledge, their vision will become reality.
(A) That they
(B) They
(C) That
(D) They will

EXERCISE 2

Choose the correct adverb clause marker from the parentheses.

1. Quasars are an important discovery (because/although) they are the most

powerful objects ever seen.
2. The outer planers are cooler than the inner ones (as/wheneras) they are further
from the sun.

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3. A black hole is a region of space (where/whenever) the gravitational pull is so

strong that nothing can escape.
4. Radio waves from distant regions of space could be studied (while/after) the
radio telescope was invented.
5. Telescopes see distant objects more clearly (whereas/because) radio telescopes
collect radio waves.
6. Astronomers did not know about quasars (before/so that)radio telescopes were
invented.

D. REFERENCE
Azar, Betty Scrampfer. 1992. Fundamentals English Grammar second edition. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Broukal, Milada, TOEFL Test Asistant:Grammar, Heinle & Heinle Publisers : USA.
Frank, Marcella. 1972. Modern English a practical reference guide. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Nettle, Mark and Hopkind, Diana, Developing Grammar in Context, Grammar
Reference and Practice. Italy: Cambridge University Press

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