This section is an overview of noun clauses and
their functions in sentences in English.
Specifically, this section provides. . .
§ a definition of noun clauses,
§ a list of the eight different functions of noun clauses in sentences in English,
§ and eight example sentences to illustrate the eight functions.
Noun Clause
A noun clause is a group of words. . .
§ that functions as one unit;
§ that has its own subject-verb combination,
§ that functions in a sentence as a noun or pronoun functions,
§ that often has a subordinator,
§ and that may not stand alone as a complete sentence.
Noun clauses may function in
sentences as . . .
§ subjects,
§ complements,
§ objects of verbs,
§ objects of gerunds,
§ objects of infinitives,
§ objects of prepositions,
§ objects of participles,
§ and as complements of adjectives.
Noun Clause
A noun clause as a subject:
§ That she left early surprised us. The noun clause here, “That she left early,” functions as the subject of the verb “surprised.” The subject-verb combination of the noun clause is “she left,” and the subordinator is “that.” The verb of the independent clause is “surprised,” and the noun clause functions here as its subject.
Noun Clause
A noun clause as a complement:
§ The problem was that she left early. The noun clause here, “that she left early,” functions as a complement of the subject “problem” in the independent clause. The subject-verb combination of this noun clause is “she left,” and the subordinator is “that.” The subject-verb combination of the independent clause is “problem was.”.
Noun Clause
A noun clause as an object of a verb:
§ We didn’t realize that she left early. The noun clause here, “that she left early,” functions as an object of the verb “did…realize” in the independent clause. The subject-verb combination of this noun clause is “she left,” and its subordinator is “that.” The subject-verb combination of the independent clause is “We did…realize.”
Noun Clause
A noun clause as an object of a gerund:
§ Finding out that she left early relieved our worry. The noun clause here, “that she left early,” functions as an object of the gerund “Finding out.” The subject-verb combination of the noun clause is “she left,” and its subordinator is “that.” The gerund “Finding out” functions as the subject of the verb “relieved.”
Noun Clause
A noun clause as an object of an infinitive:
§ He needs to know that she left early. The noun clause here, “that she left early,” functions as an object of the infinitive “to know.” The subject-verb combination of the noun clause is “she left,” and its subordinator is “that.” The infinitive “to know” functions in the independent clause as an object of the verb “needs.”
Noun Clause
A noun clause as an object of a preposition:
§ The gossip was about why she left early. The noun clause here, “why she left early,” functions as an object of the preposition “about.” The subject-verb combination of this noun clause is “she left,” and its subordinator is “why.” The prepositional phrase and the noun clause together function as a complement of the subject “gossip.”
Noun Clause
A noun clause as an object of a participle:
§ Realizing that she left early, we left too. The noun clause here, “that she left early,” functions as an object of the participle “Realizing” in the independent clause. The subject-verb combination of the noun clause is “she left,” and its subordinator is “that.” In this case, “that” may be omitted.
Noun Clause
A noun clause as a complement of an adjective:
§ Are you sure that she left early? The noun clause here, “that she left early,” functions as a complement of the adjective “sure.” The subject-verb combination of the noun clause is “she left,” and its subordinator is “that.” In the independent clause, the adjective “sure” functions as a complement of the subject “you.”
Noun Clause
Noun clauses may function in eight different
ways in sentences in English. As an overview
of noun clauses, this section provides an
example of a noun clause fulfilling each of the
eight functions. Return to “Noun Clauses” to
see more examples of noun clauses in each
of the grammatical functions, or move on to
study the various subordinators that may
appear in noun clauses.
Noun clause adalah clause (i.e. subject dan verb) yang difungsikan sebagai noun. Noun clause dalam kalimat pada umumnya digunakan sebagai subject dan object kalimat.
Noun clause dapat diawali oleh:
§ Question word atau relative pronoun baik berupa single question word maupun phrase:
§ Single question word (i.e. when, how, what, ect.).
§ Question word + determiner/ noun/ adjective / adverb.
§ Question word + infinitive.
§ Conjunction (i.e. whether dan if).
§ That atau the fact that.
Sehingga pola dari noun clause adalah:
Question word/conjunction/that + subject + verb + …
A. Noun Clauses diawali dengan Question words
Dalam How to Address Questions sudah dibahas tentang penggunaan kata tanya baik dalam membuat information questions maupun dalam membuat embedded questions. Embedded questions tersebut adalah noun clause. Dalam section ini diberikan contoh tambahan untuk merefresh memori anda.
1. Single question words.
Contoh:
1. Where she is now is still unknown.
2. When they arrive is still uncertain.
3. I know what you did last summer and I still know what you did last summer are two Hollywood movies starred by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Perhatikan: dalam kalimat ini, noun clause what you did last summer menjadi object dari I know dan I still know, dan setelah digabung dengan: are two Hollywood movies starred by Jennifer Love Hewitt, menjadi subject majemuk dari kalimat.
Noun clause dapat ditempatkan diawal kalimat (sebagai subject) atau sebagai object. Jika anda ingin merubah posisi noun clause dari subject kalimat menjadi object kalimat, biasanya dibutuhkan pronoun it atau sedikit modifikasi kata. Contoh di atas menjadi:
1. It is still unknown where she is now.
2. Do you know when they arrive?
3. Two Hollywood movies starred by Jennifer Love Hewitt are I know what you did last summer and I still know what you did last summer. Karena merupakan judul movies, noun clause what you did last summer tidak perlu diputar posisinya.
Note:
a) Clause yang diawali oleh question words tertentu (i.e. when, whenever, where) juga dapat berfungsi sebagai adverbial clause.
Contoh:
1. I was reading a book when the phone rang.
2. I went to where I and my ex girlfriend had been last weekend.
3. I suddenly get nausea whenever I see his face. (nausea = mual/mau muntah).
Contoh yang lain dapat dibaca di topik: Conjunctions.
b). Clause yang diawali oleh question words tertentu (i.e. who, whom, whose + noun) juga dapat berfungsi sebagai adjective clause. Dalam hal ini, kata tanya tersebut sebenarnya adalah relative pronoun. Well, jangan terlalu dipusingkan dengan istilah. Yang penting anda mengerti pola/struktur kalimatnya. Tapi, jika anda penasaran, silakan baca topic adjective clauses.
Contoh:
1. I think you whom Mr. Dodi was looking for. (Saya kira kamu (orang) yang pak Dodi sedang cari-cari tadi).
2. Mr. Dodi, who is a teacher, was looking for you at school.
3. Rommy, whose book was stolen last week, just bought another new book yesterday.
Lantas, bagaimana cara membedakan apakah itu noun clause, adverbial clause, atau adjective clause? Jawabannya sederhana. Noun clause dapat digantikan dengan pronoun it, sedangkan adverbial clause dan adjective clause tidak. Noun clause menjawab pertanyaan what dan who/whom; Adverbial clause menjawab pertanyaan when, where, how (termasuk how much, how often, ect), dan why. Adjective clause (i.e. kata sifat yang berbentuk clause) menerangkan noun, dan relative pronounnya (i.e. who, that, ect.) dalam bahasa Indonesia berarti “yang“. Adverbial clauses sudah disinggung pada pembahasan tentang conjunctions. Khusus untuk perbedaan noun clause dan adjective clause dapat dibaca di topik: Perbedaan Noun Clause dan Adjective Clause.
2. Question words + ever/soever
Kecuali how, diakhir question words dapat ditambahkan ever atau soever menjadi whenever = whensoever, whatever= whatsoever, dan seterusnya. Arti ever atau soever di sini sama, yaitu saja/pun, tinggal dikombinasikan dengan kata tanya di depannya. Sedangkan, how+ever menjadi however (i.e. adverb atau juga disebut kata transisi yang berarti namun/walapun demikian) tidak termasuk dalam katagori ini.
Contoh:
1. We will accept whatever you want us to do. (Kami akan menerima/melakukan apa saja yang kamu ingin kami lakukan).
2. Whoever can melt her feeling is a very lucky guy. (melt = meluluhkan). Be careful: guy (dibaca gae)= laki-laki, sedangkan gay (dibaca gei) = fag = homo.
3. She has agreed to wherever the man would bring her. (Dia telah setuju kemanapun pria itu membawanya pergi). Note: in speaking (informal), preposition (dalam hal ini to, etc.) biasanya diletakkan di ujung kalimat. She has agreed wherever the man would bring her to.
3. Question words + nouns
Question words + nouns yang sering digunakan antara lain: what time (jam berapa), what day (hari apa), what time (jam berapa), what kind (jenis apa), what type (tipe apa), whose + nouns (i.e. whose car, whose book, ect.), dan seterusnya.
Contoh:
1. I can’t remember what day we will take the exam.
2. As long as I am faithful, she doesn’t care what type of family I come from. (faithful = setia).
3. Do you know what time it is?
4. I don’t know whose car is parked in front of my house.
4. Question words + adjectives
Question words + adjectives yang sering digunakan antara lain: how long (berapa panjang/lama), how far (berapa jauh), how old (berapa tua/umur), ect.
Contoh:
1. Man! She still looks young. Do you know how old she actually is?
2. I am lost. Could you tell me how far it is from here to the post office?
3. What a jerk. He didn’t even ask how long I had been waiting for him.
5. Question words + determiners.
Question words + determiners yang sering digunakan adalah: how many (berapa banyak) dan how much (berapa banyak). Remember: how many diikuti oleh plural nouns, sedangkan how much diikuti oleh uncountable nouns.
Contoh:
1. Is there any correlation between how good he or she is in English and how many books he or she has?
2. How much your English skill will improve is determined by how hard you practice.
6. Question words + adverbs.
Question words + adverbs yang sering digunakan adalah: how often (berapa sering), how many times (berapa kali) ect.
Contoh:
1. No matter how often I practice, my English still sucks. (Tidak memandang berapa kali saya latihan, bahasa Inggris saya masih jelek). Suck (informal verb) = jelek/tidak baik; arti suck yang lain: mengisap.
2. I don’t want my parents to know how many times I have left school early. (leave school early = bolos).
7. Question words + infinitives.
Jika question words langsung diikuti oleh infinitives, invinitives tersebut mengandung makna should atau can/could. Perhatikan bahwa subject setelah question words dihilangkan.
Contoh:
1. She didn’t know what to do = She didn’t know what she should do. (Dia tidak tahu apa yang seharusnya dia lakukan).
2. Please tell me how to get the train station from here = Please tell me how I can get the train station from here.
3. We haven’t decided when to go to the beach = We haven’t decided when we should go to the beach.
4. Marry told us where to find her = Marry told us where we could find her.
B. Noun clauses diawali dengan whether/if
Whether bisa diikuti oleh OR/NOT bisa juga tidak; makna kalimat biasanya sama walaupun OR/NOT tidak disebutkan (ini tergantung konteks kalimat). Untuk penggunaan if, selain telah dibahas di topic conjunctions, juga telah dibahas di topic conditionals. Note: whether pelafalannya sama dengan weather (cuaca), tulisannya juga mirip. Be careful, jangan sampai tertukar.
Contoh:
1. I am not sure whether she is coming or not = I am not sure whether or not she is coming = I am not sure whether she is coming. (Saya tidak yakin apakah dia akan datang atau tidak).
2. We can’t decide whether we should go out or stay home. = We can’t decide whether to go or (to) stay home. Perhatikan, infinitives juga dapat digunakan setelah whether.
3. I am not sure whether I should take economics or law after I graduate from high school. (Saya tidak yakin apakah saya harus ngambil Ekonomi atau Hukum setelah lulus SMA nanti).
4. If you take economics, I will take economics. On the other hand, if you take law, I will take law too.
C. Noun clauses diawali dengan that/the fact that
Di sini that berarti bahwa, sedangkan the fact that berarti fakta bahwa. Sedangkan, that dalam adjective clauses berarti yang.
Contoh:
1. That she has had a PhD degree at the age of 20 surprises a lot of people = It surprises a lot of people that she has had a PhD degree at the age of 20.
2. It is the fact that the world is round = the fact that the world is round is well known.
3. It was obvious that she was very sick = The fact that she was very sick was obvious.
4. It seems that it is going to rain soon.
Sekarang coba anda latihan buat kalimat dengan menggunakan:
1. It is + (true, too bad, unfortunate, strange, impossible, unlikely, a well known fact, my belief, etc) + (that/the fact that) + S +V.
2. It + stative + (that/the fact that) + S +V. Kata-kata yang termasuk stative verbs dapat dilihat pada topik simple present tense.
