argument noun phrase noun clause adjective clause dependent sentence noun clause conjunction dependent clause conjunction nominal noun clause conjunction clause nominal declarative noun clause factive noun clause potential noun clause subjunctive noun clause volative noun clause interrogative noun clause yn-interrogative noun clause wh-interrogative noun clause indefinite noun clause pronominal noun clause determinative noun clause imperative noun clause sentence quotative argument sentence quotative declarative assertive affirmative negative performative imperative affirmative negative interrogative yn-interrogative wh-interrogative affirmative negative

Section 6-3 NOUN CLAUSES

Figure 16 below contains two versions of two tree diagrams. These are phrase structures that require at least [P1], [P2], [P15], and [P19] to describe them. Notice that the example on the right utilizes both rule [P15] and [P19]. This sentence includes a clause as subject argument where the first one has a noun phrase. Along with its connective, the clause is a realization of an argument. This kind of clause is a noun clause.
[P15] The Argument
[P19] The Noun Clause

Further use of arguments.  
Arguments arise in several places in the phrase structure rules. [P7] describes the subject of the sentence or clause of [P2] as consisting principally of an argument. It appears below, twice in [P6], once as a subject complement and again as object of a verb, expanded in [P8]. The argument appears again in [P10] as object of an adverb, and in [P14] as object of a preposition acting as an adjective complement. It is because the noun clause appears in any of these structures that Occam’s razor obliges the grammarian to make it their common element and expand it in [P19].

Phrase Structures Using [P1], [P2], [P15], and [P19]

A classification for noun clauses.  
The simplest noun clause is the one punctuated with quote marks. This clause classifies essentially the same as the sentence, only the appropriate type is selected by an element of the matrix. Sentence paraphrase offers the analyst a convenient way to classify the other clauses, and in particular the other noun clauses. With a little practice the English speaker will find it relatively easy to paraphrase the contents of a noun clause paratactically and decide what kind of full sentence expresses it best. All three syntactic sentence types turn up as paraphrases of the more deeply embedded noun clauses. If it is natural to paraphrase the imbed as a simple assertion, this convention makes the clause a declarative noun clause (DecNC) (cf. Chapter 12). In example sentences to follow when one contains a dependent clause, I will append an “i” for the declarative paraphrase of the proposition of the imbed (the dependent clause), and an “m” for the declarative paraphrase of the proposition of the matrix (the superordinate independent clause).
(1)That John is quiet is obvious to all.
i. John is quiet.
m. This is obvious to all.

If the paraphrase has the form of a question, we call it an interrogative noun clause (IntNC) (cf. Chapter 13).
(2)I will ask whether John is quiet.
i. Is John quiet?
m. I will ask this.

If the clause forms a command, we call it an imperative noun clause (ImpNC) (cf. §12-2).
(3)I am ordering you to be quiet.
i. Be quiet.
m. I am ordering this of you.

As it turns out, it is possible to view the ImpNC in some instances as a variation on the DecNC. At other times it may be a variation on the IntNC. There are at least two additional kinds of noun clauses both being a form of the indefinite noun clause (IndNC) (cf. §13-2). These kinds are characterized by whether their sentence paraphrases include an indefinite pronoun, e.g., someone, or an indefinite determiner, and this more specifically an indefinite identifier or article, e.g., an, to refer to them.
(4)I know who stole the statue.
i. Someone stole the statue.
m. I know this person.
(5)I know which statue he stole.
i. He stole a statue.
m. I know this one.

Noun clause types

It will probably be helpful at this point to mention the quotative noun clause, whose types were introduced in chapter 3. Some of the same features (at least their names) as may be suited to distinguish the embedded sentences are used for the noun clauses. Multiple examples of this clausal structure are given in chapter 12.

Embedded sentence types

Works of Wonder | Paraphrastic Grammar Contents