Interrogative Sentence

An interrogative sentence is one that asks a direct question and always ends in
a question mark.

The term "interrogative sentence" is another name for a question.

Forming "Question Word" Questions

"Question word" questions are formed:

Question Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Remainder

Here are some examples of "question word" questions:
Question Word Auxiliary Verb Subject Main Verb Remainder Possible Answer

Where did the train stop? Boston.

Why was the policeman waving the flag? To stop the traffic.

When using the verb "to be" in the present or past tense, the format is as follows:
Question Word Verb To Be Subject Remainder Possible Answer

When is Easter Sunday? Before Easter Monday.

Why are you leaving? No reason.

Sentence Structure: Clause

What Are Clauses?

A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb. (A clause

functions as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.)

A clause contrasts with a phrase, which does not contain a subject and a verb.
The distinction between a clause and a phrase is clearer when you see them side
by side:
 when she wakes up.
(This is a clause. It has a subject ("she") and a verb ("wakes up").)
Anna sings...
in the morning.
(This is a phrase. There is no subject and no verb.)

Easy Examples of Clauses

• During the day, Vlad slept in a coffin.
(The subject of this clause is "Vlad." The verb is "slept." "During the
day" is a phrase because there is no verb.)
• When the Moon shone, he lurked in the shadows.
(The subject of the first clause is "the Moon." The verb is "shone."
The subject of the second clause is "he." The verb is "lurked.")
• He stalked a pretty milkmaid, who lived in the neighbouring village.
(The subject of the first clause is "He." The verb is "stalked." The
subject of the second clause is "who." The verb is "lived.")

Types of Clauses
There are two types of clause:
• An independent clause (one that can stand alone as a sentence).
• A dependent clause (one that is usually a supporting part of a
sentence).
In these three quotations, the independent clauses are shown in bold and the
dependent clauses aren't.
• Even though I made $800 million, I am still grounded. (Boxer
Floyd Mayweather)
(The independent clause could be a standalone sentence, but the
dependent clause couldn't.)
• A computer once beat me at chess but was no match for me at
kick boxing. (Louis Hector Berlioz)
• After I die, I'll be forgotten. (Anon)
The opening words of the dependent clauses above ("Even though," "but," and
"After") are all subordinating conjunctions. Subordinating conjunctions link a
dependent clause to an independent clause.
How Are Clauses Used in Sentences?
Clauses can play a variety of roles in sentences. A clause can act as a noun,
an adjective, or an adverb.

(1) Noun Clauses

• She cannot remember what she said last night.
(The clause acts like a noun. It could be replaced with a noun, e.g.,
"her rant.")
• Now I know why tigers eat their young. (Mobster Al Capone)
(This clause could be replaced with a noun, e.g., "the reason.")

(2) Adjective Clauses

• My friend who lives in London looks like Homer Simpson.
(The clause acts like an adjective. It could be replaced with an
adjective, e.g., "my London-based friend.")
• You should never make fun of something that a person can't change
about themselves. (YouTuber Phil Lester) (This clause could be
replaced with an adjective, e.g., "unchangeable.")

(3) Adverbial Clauses

• He lost his double chin after he gave up chocolate.
(The clause acts like an adverb. It could be replaced with an adverb,
e.g., "recently.")
• I am not afraid of the pen, the scaffold or the sword. I will tell the
truth wherever I please. (Labour-rights campaigner Mary Harris
Jones aka "Mother Jones")
(This clause could be replaced with an adverb, e.g., "there.")
What Are Noun Clauses?
A noun clause is a clause that plays the role of a noun. For example (noun clauses
shaded):
• I like what I see.
(Like all clauses, a noun clause has a subject and a verb. In this
example, the subject of the clause is "I" and the verb is "see.")
• I know that patience has its limits.
(In this example, the subject of the clause is "patience" and the verb
is "has.")
Compare the two examples above to these:
• I like innovation.
• I know people.
The words in bold are all nouns. This proves that the shaded clauses in the first
two examples are functioning as nouns.
The Composition of a Noun Clause

Let's look quickly at the definition for "clause."

Definition of "Clause"

A clause has a subject and a verb and functions as one part of speech.

(It follows therefore that a noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence.)

Lots of noun clauses start with "that," "how," or a "wh"-word (i.e., "what," "who,"
"which," "when," "where," or "why"). For example:
• I know that it happened.
• I know how it happened.
• I know why it happened.

How To Check If Your Clause Is Functioning As a Noun

A great way to check whether a phrase or clause is functioning as a noun is to

have a go at replacing it with a pronoun. If you can, your phrase or clause is
functioning as a noun.
• What I say is true.
(Pronoun test: "It is true." This proves that "What I say" is
functioning as a noun.)
• Show me how they work.
(Pronoun test: "Show me them." This proves that "how they work"
is functioning as a noun.)
Examples of Noun Clauses
Here are some easy examples of noun clauses. In each example, the noun clause
is shaded, the subject of the clause is bold, and the verb of the noun clause is
underlined.
• I know that the story is true.
• I saw how the accident happened.
• I understand why it was necessary.
• I know who said that.
(Often, the opening word (i.e., "how," "that," or the "wh"-word) is
the subject of the noun clause.)

The Function of Noun Clauses

Like any noun, a noun clause can be a subject, an object, or a complement. Here
are some more easy examples of noun clauses as subjects, objects, and
complements.
• Whoever smelt it dealt it.
(Here, the noun clause is a subject.)
• My command is whatever you wish.
(Here, the noun clause is a subject complement.)
• I will give what you said some thought.
(Here, the noun clause is an indirect object. That's pretty rare.)

Noun clauses as a direct object:

She knows what my name is.
I noticed where they were going.

Noun clauses as a subject:

What she is doing is not known.
What you said is not clear.
Where she lives is not considered.

Noun clauses as an indirect object:

I will give whoever gets the best mark a new calculator.
Martha will give whoever she sees there her old bag.

Noun clauses after linking verbs be, become, seem, look.

The taste of the soup wasn't as we expected.
That is not what they want.
You look what you claim to be.
She seems as if she is a poor woman.
You looked as if you made a mistake.

Real-Life Examples of Noun Clauses

Here are some real-life examples:
• Light knows when you are looking at it. ("Light and space" artist
James Turrell)
(Here, the noun clause is the direct object of the verb "knows.")
• It is a light thing for whoever keeps his foot outside trouble to
advise and counsel him that suffers. (Greek tragedian Aeschylus)
(Here, the noun clause is the object of a preposition ("for").)
• My relationships are between me and whomever I'm with, not
between me and the world. (Actress Lili Reinhart)
(Here, the noun clause is the object of a preposition ("with").)
• Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
(Playwright George Bernard Shaw)
(Here, the noun clause is a subject complement.)

More Examples of Noun Clauses

In a sentence, a noun clause will be a dependent clause. In other words, a noun
clause does not stand alone as a complete thought.
• Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying. (Fran
Lebowitz)
(This noun clause is the direct object of "ask.")
• He knows all about art, but he doesn't know what he likes. (James
Thurber, 1894-1961)
(This noun clause is the direct object of "know.")
• It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has
descended from man. (H L Mencken, 1880-1956)
(This noun clause is the direct object of "believe.")
• I never know how much of what I say is true. (Bette Midler)
(This noun clause is an object of a preposition.)
• Man is what he eats. (Ludwig Feuerbach)
(This noun clause is a subject complement.)
• My one regret in life is that I am not someone else. (Woody Allen)
(This noun clause is a subject complement.)
Using Noun Clauses from Questions
Noun clauses formed from interrogative constructions are used to embed questions
into the grammatical structure of the main clause, most frequently as a direct object
or prepositional complement. For example:

Ask your grandpa. + Does he read science fiction?

Ask your grandpa if he reads science fiction.

My professor clarified. + Who was the guest speaker?

My professor clarified who the guest speaker was.

His father asked him. + What was he thinking?

His father asked him what he was thinking.
His father asked him about what he was thinking.

Note that prescriptive grammar rules require that the verb tense of the noun clause
parallels the verb tense of the main clause if the main clause contains the past tense.
However, native English speakers sometimes use different tenses in the two clauses.
For example:

The boss questioned me. + When will the shipment arrived?

The boss questioned me about when the shipment would arrive. (more formal)
The boss questioned me about when the shipment will arrive. (less formal)

The tense rule does not apply if the main clause contains the present tense. For
example:
Do you know? + Where did she live last year?
Do you know where she lived last year?
*Do you know where she lives last year? (grammatically incorrect)

One way to form noun clauses in the English language is from interrogative
constructions (questions). Using noun clauses formed from questions allows English
speakers to combine a question with a statement, another question, or a command
within a single sentence.

Noun Clause Connectors function as subject

In some ‘”wh” questions, the question asks for the subject:

Who came last night?
Who is the subject – in that case the question word becomes the subject of the
noun clause and the connector:
I want to know {who came last night}.
e.g. What made that noise?

I want to know what made that noise.

Note – only “who” and “what” can be the subject of the noun clause, because only
who and what can be pronouns. Only “who” and “what” can be the subject in
questions. If you are looking at a question and are unsure how to make a noun
clause because you cannot find the subject, try answering the question – it will
help.

e.g. Who is that – is the subject “who” or “that”

Answer the question – That is my professor. Therefore, the subject is “that”
e.g. What is the problem? – is the subject “what” or “the code”
Answer the question – The noise is the problem. Therefore, the subject is “what”.
in some cases a noun clause connector is not just a connector; a noun clause
connector can also be the subject of the clause at the same time.

In the first example there are two clauses: I do not know and what is in the box.
These two clauses are joined by the connector what. It is important to understand
that in this sentence the word what serves two functions. It is both the subject of the
verb is and the connector that joins the two clauses.
In the second example there are two clauses. In the first clause we is the subject of
are. In the second clause who is the subject of will do. Who also serves as the
connector that joins the two clauses. The noun clause who will do the work
functions as the object of the preposition about.
In the last example there are also two clauses: whoever is the subject of the verb is
coming, and the noun clause whoever is coming to the party is the subject of must
bring. The word whoever serves two functions in the sentence: It is the subject of
the verb is coming, and it is the connector that joins the two clauses.