Extension Exercises

Index | Chapter 25 - Noun classes | Possible Answers

Exploring English

Precise answers to these questions will depend on the text you choose. Noun clauses occur frequently in most examples of language use, and the examples you find are likely to confirm that we tend to leave that out, particularly in informal conversation and when we are using short and relatively simple sentences.

Course materials

Many coursebooks teach noun clauses only in the context of reported speech. Others confine the attention they pay to noun clauses to a separate grammar section (and may include non-finite infinitive and -ing clauses under the heading 'noun clauses').

Isolated sentences are often used to provide examples of noun clauses, and practice often consists of re-writing what someone has said, converting it into reported speech. It is in the context of reported speech that materials also often provide guidance on choosing whether or not to use that.