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Subject Noun Clauses
Just as a noun can serve as the subject of a sentence, so can an entire noun clause.
For instance, we can take one of the noun clauses we used as a direct object in the previous section and now use it as a subject:
Ex: What Tom is eating is a bug.....a bug is a thing = (What)
Ex: Who is eating a bug is Tom......Tom is a person = (Who)
Ex: Why Tom is eating a bug is because he likes them......because he likes them is a reason = (Why)
Ex: Where Tom is eating the bug is at McBurger's......McBurger's is a place = (Where)
Ex: How Tom eats the bug is with barbeque sauce......with barbeque sauce is the way = (How)
Ex: Which bug Tom is eating is the one he found on the floor. (Note that Which usually has an object (bug) after it.)
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As with the direct object noun clauses, the subordinator When can be problematic...
Ex: When Tom usually eats his bugs is at noon......noon is a time = (When)
*Whatever noun comes after the main verb in the sentence has to be a time (minute, hour, day, month, year, etc...).
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Some additional concerns apply to Whether and If.
Ex: Whether he eats a bug or not doesn't matter to Jessica.
Ex: If he eats a bug or not doesn't matter to Jessica. **
**If is often used to make a subject noun clause in the real world. However, it's considered incorrect on standardized tests like the TOEFL. This is a difference between prescriptive grammar (the rules in a grammar book) and descriptive grammar (grammar the way it's actually used by native speakers). I often explain this to students as TOEFL English vs. Street English.
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Issues with That:
Ex: That Tom is eating a bug is pretty disgusting (NC + adj.)
We can test whether it's a noun clause by substituting the meaning of the subordinator. In this case, the subordinator is That which means This situation. Thus, we can say This situation is pretty disgusting and still have a good sentence. Let's take a look at another example to further illustrate this idea.
Ex: That bug Tom is eating is not having a good day. ...is not a noun clause because we cannot say This situation is not having a good day and still have the same meaning as the original.
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You may have noticed that many of the subject noun clause sentences above have a subject complement in them. Subject noun clauses often work in conjunction with subject complements because a form of the verb be is often used in these types of sentences. Let's take a look at these next: subject complement noun clauses
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