EXPLANATION Noun clauses are clauses that function in the same way that nouns function. Compare these two sentences:
- Ryan will know the name of the plants.
- Ryan will know what the botanical name is for these plants.
In each sentence, the verb is will know and there is an object that follows. In the first sentence, the object is the noun name. In the second sentence, the object is a clause that functions as a noun (what the botanical name is for these plants). Such clauses are called noun clauses. Here are some more examples:
- They got what they deserved. (Noun clause is object of got.)
- That you like him is obvious. (Noun clause is subject of is.)
- We think that they will come. (Noun clause is object of think.)
- What you see is what you get. (Noun clauses both subject and complement of the verb is.)
When we are speaking, we sometimes leave out that when it introduces a noun clause; so instead of saying, 'The truth is that we are lost,' we say, 'The truth is we are lost.' Because we might pause where that should be, some people would insert a comma there if they wrote that sentence. However, it improves clarity if the word that is used rather than a comma.
