Noun clauses derived from questions

Noun clauses can be derived from Yes/No questions and question-word questions [> Chapter 13]

1.24.1 Noun clauses derived from Yes/No questions [> 15.17-18] Here is a direct Yes/No question Has he signed the contract?

By putting if or whether in front of it and by changing the word order to subject-predicate, we turn it into a subordinate noun-clause that can be used

- as a subject Whether he has signed the contract (or not) doesn t matter {if is not possible)

- as a complement after be The question is whether he has signed the contract (if is not possible)

- as an object after verbs, especially in indirect questions [> 15.18n5] / want to know whether/if he has signed the contract (or not)

- as an object after a preposition / m concerned about whether he has signed the contract (or not) {if is not possible)

Whether is obligatory if the clause begins a sentence, it is obligatory after be and after prepositions Either whether or if can be used after a verb and after a few adjectives used in the negative, such as not sure and not certain [> App 44] If there is doubt about the choice between whether and if as subordinating conjunctions, it is always safe to use whether Note how or not can be used optionally, particularly with whether

1-24.2 Noun clauses derived from question-word questions [> 15.19-23] Here is a direct question-word question How soon will we know the results?

Question-word questions (beginning with who(m) what which when

1 The sentence

where why and how plus a change in word order) can function as noun clauses and can be used

- as a subject When he did it is a mystery

- after be The question is when he did it

- after reporting verbs / wonder when he did it [> 16.24]

- after verb + preposition or adjective + preposition

It depends on when he did it I'm interested in when he did it

We can use what (not that which) instead of the thing(s) that to introduce a noun clause What may be considered to be a relative pronoun [> 1.27] here

What matters most is good health (i e the thing that matters) Compare the use of What as a question word (when it does not have the meaning 'the thing(s) that) in direct and indirect questions

What made him do it? I wonder what made him do it

The complex sentence: relative pronouns and relative clauses

How to identify a relative clause