Notes will be here: haleyshec.blogspot.com
Noun clauses
REVIEW
Three main sentence types
You have to know and be able
to write them consistently.
*SIMPLE SENTENCES
SV SSV
SVV SSVV Imperative
Interrogative
*COMPOUND
SV, SOBA SV. FANBOYS
It is sunny, yet it is
cold.
It is sunny, but it is cold.
; semicolon
SV; SV
SV; TRANS, SV
TRANS = transitional
terms ; however, ; therefore,
*COMPLEX
ADVERB CLAUSE
ADJECTIVE CLAUSE
NOUN CLAUSE
Noun Clauses
noun – a person, place, thing, or idea
noun clause S+V subject and verb
Noun clauses are used with verbs that have to do with the brain,
thinking or cognition: think, feel, believe, know, understand, forget, remember,
realize, etc
cognition(n) understanding
cognisant, recognize,
Also verbs about speaking: say, yell, whisper, shout, mention,
promise
Noun clauses are all about from the neck up.
Noun clauses most often begin with these words: that, what, why, how
TWO POOLS OF VOCAB
A.
think, feel, believe, know,
understand, forget, remember, realize, etc.
B.
that, what, why, how
Choose an A word and put it with a B word.
Mix and match A+B.
Examples of complex sentences with noun clauses:
*think + that
Joanne thinks (that) her son is very tall for his age. noun clause SV
I think (that) it will
rain today.
Jun doesn’t think that Marta is telling the truth.
I think that you forgot
your key.
Your mother doesn’t think that you should stay out too late tonight.
I don’t think that you should
go to the party.
Mei’s sister thinks that Mei should get a Covid test.
Expressing an opinion- noun clauses are very useful
modal-
should, must, ought to, have got to
You ought
to apologize to your sister for being rude to her earlier. SIMPLE
I think
that you ought to apologize to your
sister for being rude to her earlier. COMPLEX- N CL
DIFFERENT STYLE: I think that studying English will give me new opportunities.
gerund- ‘ing’ noun , looks like a verb, but it is a noun
Snowboarding is fun. SIMPLE
I think that snowboarding is fun. COMPLEX, NOUN CLAUSE
Raising kids is hard work. SIMPLE
Jaswinder thinks that raising kids is hard work. COMPLEX, NOUN CLAUSE
*Use a noun clause to ascribe an action or words to another person.
HIGHER LEVEL – Option to omit ‘that’
Jaswinder thinks that raising kids is hard work.
Jaswinder thinks that raising kids is hard work.
*realize + that
I realize that I gave you the wrong answer.
Joe realized that he cheated him.
Shira got to school and realized (that) she forgot her phone at home.
I realize (that) you
don’t like school, but you have to do
your best.
She noticed that her friend has been crying.
**You can omit ‘that’ if you wish. It’s perfectly ok to leave it in.
Joe thinks that the boots are nice. NOUN CL
Joe thinks that the boots are nice.
Joe thinks the boots are nice. NOUN CL
*find out + that
I found out that my daughter lied to me.
Jess found out from her classmate that they have a test today.
Jess found out from her classmate they have a test today.
*NOTES ‘that’ is a tricky word in English
that – many uses
noun clauses and adjective clauses, confusing
‘that book’
I think that would be nice. – possibly will happen
I think that will be nice. – definitely will happen
We could go for a hike tomorrow. I think that would be nice.
We are going for a hike tomorrow. I think that will be nice.
How am I doing in the class? I think that you doing pretty ok.
* wonder + why
I was wondering why you are always late.
I wonder why my dog stares at me.
* wonder + how – to do something
I wonder how I can fix this computer.
I wonder how the mouse got into my apartment.
We were wondering how we could make the server run more efficiently.
She wonders how she can retain new vocabulary words more effectively.
Mix and match A and B pools
TWO POOLS OF VOCAB
A.
think, feel, believe, know,
understand, forget, remember, realize, etc.
B.
that, what, why, how
Choose an A word and put it with a B word.
Mix and match A+B.
*know + why
Jun doesn’t know why Keiko is
angry at/with him.
Jun didn’t know why Keiko was
angry at/with him.
Jacob knows why Sarah
quit her job.
Jacob doesn’t know why Sarah quit her job.
I don’t know why she
is not feeling good.
Sarah knows why her sister is smiling, but she
doesn’t want to tell me. COMPOUND COMPLEX
Why is Mei late today? question
I don’t know why Mei is late today. answer, with a noun
clause
I don’t know. SIMPLE
I don’t know why I can’t remember the words that I learned
yesterday. noun cl adjective clause
I don’t know why
my car engine light is on. natural-sounding
I don’t know why
my car’s engine light is on. also ok
I don’t know why my son was working so hard yesterday.
I don’t know why you like to climb mountains in the rain.
* like how (less common)
I like how you always listen to me. pays attention to your
words
Sarah doesn’t like how her husband loses his temper easily.
Sarah doesn’t know why her husband loses his temper easily.
lose your temper- get very angry
Sarah doesn’t like how it rains so much in Vancouver.
Sarah doesn’t like that it rains so much in Vancouver.
Dora thinks that her son is on his phone too much. She
doesn’t like how/that he spends so much time staring at the screen.
I like how you sang
that song.
She likes how he tells
funny stories.
I like how you treated me when I was sick.
Sarah likes how her mother cooks chicken.
* say that
Michelle said (that) she
would come early today.
The teacher said that we will do a quiz on Friday.
The little boy said that there was a monster under his bed.
Sahara said that there will be a party on Saturday.
I said (that) I would pick up some milk on the way home.
My mother said (that) the recipe is easy to make.
I didn’t say that I would do that.
My son said that he will treat
me to lunch/ to dimsum next Sunday.
treat someone to lunch- you invite someone and pay
My treat! It’s on me! I will treat you.
I insist.
We’ll split the bill.
Boxer said, “I will work harder!”
Boxer said that he would work harder. N CL
* forget why
Sharin forgot why she came
into the kitchen. *Cannot omit ‘why’
I forget why I called you.
REMINDER:
A.
think, feel, believe, know,
understand, forget, remember, realize, etc.
B.
that, what, why, how
Knowing which A goes with which B is the tricky part. That will take
a lot of listening to English speakers, reading, etc.
Daily practice is the only way to get better.
Consistent focused daily practice is the key to acquiring a new
skill.
* believe how
I couldn’t believe how hard it was to immigrate to Canada.
I don’t believe how much I miss my dog.
IDIOM don’t believe – am very surprised
May doesn’t believe how much it rains in Vancouver.
I can’t believe how expensive a purebred puppy is.
shed(v)- a dog loses hair
Her dogs sheds a lot.
non-shedding
hypo-allergenic – will not bother people with allergies
* understand + why
I understand why you want to stay in English Foundation 5.
Jun’s mother understood why she wanted to marry Taka.
I don’t understand why my brother won’t forgive me.
Mary didn’t understand why her son could not make it to school on
time.
I don’t understand why my tomatoes are not growing.
The little boy could not understand why he was not allowed to
stay up late.
I don’t understand why people came up with segregation
laws/rules.
Joan understands why she did not pass.
* understand how
I understand how hard it is to learn a new language.
I understand how challenging it is to ...
Marie doesn’t understand how you could say that to her.
We don’t understand how to do this math problem.
Davd’s girlfriend doesn’t understand how to make him happy.
Mohamed didn’t understand how the teaching method could be so different
in Canada than it was back in his home country. noun clause adverb clause
You probably know a lot of
these already. To get comfortable with these, you really need to use them in
your daily life. It’s really important for you to engage with authentic English
daily.
It is only way to learn a
language.
The secret is daily practice.
You can practice for 10m?,
20m? 5m? a day writing these sentence types.
SIMPLE SENTENCES
COMPOUND SENTENCES
COMPLEX SENTENCES- adverb
clauses, noun clauses, adjective clauses
.
COMPLEX SENTENCE – two
clauses
Michelle said that she would come early today.
Michelle said – main clause,
independent clause
that she would come early today – subordinate clause, dependent clause, noun clause
I think that you are a very kind person. complex sentence
MAIN THINGS TO FOCUS ON
1.
SIMPLE
COMPOUND
COMPLEX
2.
PUNCTUATION, especially commas
and semicolons
REMEMBER: Sentence combining exercises are
the most effective way to improve sentence writing. You can get very basic
beginner level exercises, all the way up to very challenging university level
exercises.
