Noun Clauses in Dialogue
Consider the following sentence:
- He said [that] I am ugly.
An analysis of that sentence might go like this:
- The highlighted portion is a subordinate noun clause. It can be treated like one big noun.
- In this sentence, the word "that" is optional (and that's why we have put it in brackets).
- The noun clause "I am ugly" is a dependent or subordinate clause. The pattern of this clause is equative (S=C).
- If we take a step back, however, and consider the entire sentence, we can see that the main clause is transitive (SVO).
- Summing it up: The sentence is a complex sentence that consists of two clauses:
- main clause = He said that I am ugly = transitive (SVO)
- subordinate clause = I am ugly = equative (S=C)
Graphically, we might represent it like this:
Main Clause | ||||
S |
V |
O |
||
|
Subordinate Clause | |||
S I |
= am |
C ugly |
Now let's take a look at the following sentence:
- He said, "You are ugly."
Despite the punctuation differences, this sentence is basically the same.
Main Clause | ||||
S |
V |
O |
||
|
Subordinate Clause | |||
S You |
= are |
C ugly |
The point is this: Don't let noun clauses scare you. You've been using them your whole life. Whenever you report someone's speech—whether directly or indirectly—you're doing it with a noun clause.
Instructions for the Quiz
Identify the pattern of the main clause.
To make things slightly easier, I have highlighted the noun clause in each sentence.
Quiz