Noun Clauses

A that-clause most often functions as the object of a verb. Relevant verbs include those expressing thought (think, believe, suspect, doubt), knowledge and discovery (know, notice, discover), speech and reporting (say, claim, report, explain, admit, argue), and agreement, decisions, promises, or hopes (agree, decide, promise, hope). In this pattern, neither to nor a preposition is needed before the clause: it follows the verb directly.

The clause has ordinary statement word order, with its own subject and predicate. In a question, inversion applies only to the main clause. Compare Do you think that she will come? with the incorrect Do you think that will she come? The tense inside the subordinate clause depends on the meaning and the main verb; tense agreement in reported speech is a separate topic.

The pattern depends on the individual verb. Tell in the sense of giving someone information, along with inform, remind, assure, and convince, usually requires a recipient before the that-clause: told me that, assured us that. Warn allows both warned them that and warned that without a stated recipient. Say and explain require to before a recipient: said that, explained to me that. Do not use said me to mean that someone said something to you.

Some verbs do not take a that-clause in the intended meaning. Want and would like use an infinitive pattern: want you to call, not want that you call. To express a wish for another person to do something, use an object followed by an infinitive. This is a limit of the rule: if a verb does not allow a that-clause, change the verb pattern rather than simply adding that.

When a that-clause is an object after a common verb such as think, say, know, hope, or believe, that is often omitted, especially in conversation. We know you worked late and We know that you worked late are both correct. Written and formal language more often retains that, particularly in academic writing and news reports.

That is required when a that-clause is the subject at the beginning of a sentence. It is often retained in long or coordinated clauses for clarity, but repeating it before every clause is not a universal requirement. Omission is also possible in some other patterns: It’s clear she knows. Check the particular construction rather than assuming that omission is always possible or possible only after a verb.

A that-clause can open a sentence and serve as its subject. This construction sounds solemn and formal; it appears in academic articles, legal texts, and essay introductions. In speech and informal writing it can feel heavy because the listener or reader has to wait for the main predicate.

A single clausal subject usually takes a singular main verb: That the trains are often late is well known. That is obligatory here. This kind of subject can present either an accepted fact or a disputed claim: That the system can be hacked has never been proved. Placing a clause at the beginning does not establish that its content is true.

When a long clausal subject makes the beginning of a sentence difficult to process, it is often moved to the end and replaced in subject position by anticipatory It. It does not refer to a previously mentioned object. In a complete, neutral sentence, use It is obvious that…, although short conversational fragments can have a different structure.

Common patterns include it is clear/likely/a pity, it worries me, it surprised everyone, it matters, it was agreed, and it has been reported. Whether an object is needed depends on the verb: surprise requires someone who is surprised, whereas matter does not. It seems/appears/turns out that are also best learned as complete patterns.

Do not omit an object required by the particular verb: use It surprised everyone that…, not It surprised that…. By contrast, It matters that… is correct without mentioning a person. In a question, inversion occurs in the main clause: Does it help that…?

Postponement can also involve an object. A clause following an evaluative verb can be placed at the end, with anticipatory it before it: find it odd that…, consider it unfair that…, take it that…, make it known that…, see to it that…. The pronoun it holds the object position, while the clause at the end supplies the actual content. Without it, I find odd that… is ungrammatical.

This pattern is used to evaluate a fact (find, consider, think) or check an assumption (take it that). See to it that means to make sure that something happens; its clause describes the desired result. Keep anticipatory it even if the equivalent expression in another language has no word in that position.

What the manager promised never happened contains a what-clause: what represents the thing that within its meaning and fills a role inside the clause. After ordinary prepositions such as about or by, a full that-clause is usually introduced through the fact that: surprised by the fact that…. Fixed combinations such as except that have a separate structure.

Related topics include that-clauses after nouns (the idea that…), interrogative clauses with if and whether, conditional forms and clauses with subjunctive be after suggest or insist, and tense agreement in reported speech. Each has its own rules and is not practised here. This lesson focuses on subject, object, and postponed-subject positions, together with anticipatory object it.

A noun phrase can appear in different places in a sentence, and a what-clause is no exception. It can be the subject at the beginning, the object after a verb, the object after a preposition, or a complement after be.

A preposition before the entire what-clause belongs to the outer construction: proud of what her students have built. If the preposition is connected to a verb inside the clause, it often appears at the end: what they talked about. These are two different positions, and they can coexist.

What does more than join a clause: it identifies an element inside it, such as the thing someone wants or the thing that caused an event. That in a content clause does not replace such an element: He said that he wanted a break.

A useful question is: does what refer to an object, an action, or the meaning “the thing that”? In he wanted what, it is the object of wanting. Do not rely only on whether the remainder is grammatical without what: some verbs allow an omitted object. Check the meaning of the whole construction.

Inside a what-clause, there is no question inversion: what you want, not what do you want. This does not rule out the auxiliary do for negation or emphasis: what you don’t want, what you do want. If what is the subject, do not add a separate subject: what caused the leak.

A what-clause used as the subject often takes a singular verb: What the visitors liked was the garden. The plural noun visitors inside the clause does not determine this agreement. However, with be and a plural complement, are/were is possible: What we need are two chairs. This is a standard option, not merely a conversational deviation.

Do not use a comma between the subject clause and the predicate.

Use what when there is no noun phrase before the clause. If there is a noun phrase, the introducer is that or which, or often nothing: the thing that you promised, everything that she said, the only book you borrowed. “Everything what” and “the thing what” are typical mistakes.

Which after a comma comments on the entire preceding situation and does not introduce a noun phrase: He apologised, which pleased everyone. What does not have this role. Forms ending in -ever (whatever, whoever) have a different meaning, “anything that” or “anyone who,” and are not covered in this lesson.

The same word what can also ask a question. In “She asked what time the museum opens,” the clause is an indirect question about the time, and the thing that is not appropriate here. The substitution test helps distinguish them: whatever can be replaced by the thing(s) that is a what-clause meaning “the thing that.”

A subject clause with be can also highlight an important element of the sentence (this is how an emphatic what-cleft works; it is covered in a separate rule). Here we are treating the clause as an ordinary noun phrase and are not teaching how to highlight a sentence element with it.

What-clauses make speech more concise: instead of “the things that…,” you name the thing with one word. They sound natural in expressions of gratitude, evaluation, requests, reports, and instructions.

A useful habit is this: before writing, mentally name the clause as a noun phrase (“the thing that he proposed”) and ask what role it plays in the sentence. The preposition will then fall into place naturally.

The fact that + clause functions as a noun phrase in four positions. As a subject, it opens the sentence and takes a singular main verb. As an object, it follows transitive verbs such as ignore, overlook, resent, regret, accept, appreciate or mention. After be, it identifies the nature of a problem or reason. Finally, it can follow a preposition.

Many positions allow a shorter sentence without the fact: That the road floods worries the residents; Nobody regrets that the bridge was rebuilt. However, this depends on the verb. After despite or because of, you cannot simply leave a complete clause without the required noun phrase; alternatives are although or because.

Prepositions such as despite, because of and apart from take noun phrases: despite the rain, because of the traffic, apart from the cost. A complete clause is not a noun phrase and cannot directly follow these expressions: Despite the road was closed is ungrammatical. The fact that provides a noun phrase containing the clause, which the preposition can take.

There are limited fixed expressions where that follows a preposition without fact, such as in that and except that. They have their own meanings and do not generally replace expressions of concession or cause. Despite of is also incorrect: despite takes the phrase directly.

Concession is expressed by despite, in spite of, regardless of, notwithstanding and irrespective of. Cause is expressed by because of, owing to, due to, on account of, as a result of, thanks to (usually a positive cause) and by virtue of. A basis or background for a decision can follow in view of, in light of, given, considering, bearing in mind or taking into account. Apart from expresses an exception or addition.

The fact that is useful when a complete clause follows despite, because of and similar prepositional expressions. However, given, considering and bearing in mind can take a that-clause directly: Given that it is late…; Considering that the team is small…. Therefore fact is not compulsory after every expression listed. Keep of in because of the fact that; the shorter alternative is because + complete clause.

Some words require a preposition before their complement, and it remains before the fact that: aware of, grateful for, surprised by, depend on, stem from, lie in, point to. With verbs that take a direct object, such as ignore, overlook, resent, regret, appreciate and accept, the phrase follows the verb directly.

Do not choose a new preposition specially for the fact that. Use the preposition the word normally takes before an ordinary noun: depend on the weather gives depend on the fact that, and stem from a mistake gives stem from the fact that.

The fact that normally presents its content as true from the speaker’s viewpoint. If you only intend to report an unconfirmed claim, fact can unintentionally imply that you accept it. Choose the noun to match the assessment of the information you wish to express.

Other nouns can introduce that-clauses for unconfirmed information: the claim that, the rumour that, the idea that, the suggestion that, the belief that. They do not assert that the clause is true, so they are compatible with saying that it has not yet been proved.

This also explains the argumentative pattern The fact that … doesn’t mean …: it accepts a fact but rejects an inference from it.

The phrase’s head noun is fact, so when the whole phrase is the subject, the main verb is singular: The fact that prices are rising is worrying. Plural prices inside the clause does not control the main verb. Do not add a pronoun after the subject phrase: The fact that she left early it surprised us is incorrect because the subject has already been expressed.

Keep that in this pattern; it is the standard form, especially in writing and formal language. You cannot replace it with what or of: The fact what… and The fact of she left… are incorrect. Fact of works with a noun or -ing form (the fact of the delay, the fact of being late), not a complete finite clause.

The fact that is natural in writing and conversation, particularly when highlighting a fact: The fact that you came means a lot. Long expressions such as because of the fact that or in spite of the fact that can often be shortened to because or although. Choose according to the emphasis and style you need.

Do not repeat the bulky construction mechanically. There is no fixed limit per paragraph: retain the fact that when it helps the structure or emphasis, and simplify it where it adds nothing.

This lesson does not cover that-clauses after verbs (I think that…), extraposition with it (It is clear that…) or what-clauses (What I need is…). Those belong to neighbouring rules; here the focus is the noun phrase the fact that.