METU / SFL
DBE
GHO 4
March 2017
PIN-B GROUP
(Instructor’s Copy)
NOUN CLAUSES II
(Noun Clauses Beginning with QUESTION WORDS and WHETHER/IF)
In New Language Leader INT Unit 1, you studied question forms. As you revised in
the unit, there are two types of questions in English; information questions (whquestions) and yes/no questions.
Information questions ask for information by using a question word (when, where,
who, what, which, why, whose, how, how much, how many, how long, how often, how
far). Yes/No questions start with an auxiliary verb and are answered by yes/no.
*
*
When will the students take the proficiency exam?
Which university did you graduate from?
*
*
Will the students take the proficiency exam in June?
Did you graduate from METU?
information questions
yes/no questions
There are also subject questions and object questions in English. Subject questions ask about the
subject of a sentence, and object questions ask about the object of a sentence.
*
*
Who designed the IQ tests?
What has influenced you most in your life?
subject questions
*
*
Who did you help to design the tests?
Who have you influenced most in your life?
object questions
EXERCISE 1. You are going to read a text on ‘Day Care Centers’. Before you read the text, ask
and answer the following questions with your partner.
1. Do you think it’s OK for mothers of small babies to work outside the home? Why/not?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of sending babies to day care centers?
3. In your native culture, do women with babies work outside the home? If so, who takes care of the baby?
4. What should parents know before they send their babies/children to a day care center?
1
EXERCISE 2. Read the text, below and do the related tasks.
DAY CARE
Working parents often put their kids in day care. Most parents say that they are happy
with the day care center they use, but some experts believe that only about 12 % of
children in day care centers receive high quality care.
Before parents choose a day care center, they want to learn the details about the
center. They usually want to know how much it costs. There are many other
questions parents should ask and observations they should make before they decide to
send their children to such centers. Parents need to know if the caregiver is loving.
They also wonder whether the caregiver responds to the child’s needs. What does the caregiver do to spend
time with children? Does the caregiver hug the child, talk to the child, smile at the child or play with the
child?
A parent should also find out what the center does when the child is ill. Most centers do not accept children
at those times, so parents should decide who will take care of the child when he or she is ill. If the parents
have to send the sick child to the center, who takes care of sick children at the center? Is there a nurse or a
doctor available to help with medical care? Do caregivers know first aid?
Another issue is the number of caregivers in the center. Parents should learn how many children there are
per caregiver. One caregiver for a group of eight four-year-old children may be enough, but babies need
much more attention; one caregiver for three babies is recommended.
Experts believe that parents should not put their babies in child care for the first four months because babies
need to form a strong attachment to their mothers during this period.
Taken and adapted from Elbaum, Sandra N., Grammar In Context 3, Lesson 9.
EXERCISE 3. Study the following sentence pairs taken from the text and answer the questions.
1.
a. How much does it cost?
b. Is the caregiver loving?
2.
a. Parents usually want to know how much it costs.
b. Parents need to know if the caregiver is loving.
a. What is the difference between the underlined parts in 1 and 2 in terms of word order?
The underlined parts in 1 are in question word order, but the ones in 2 are in statement word order.
b. Study the sentences below and find the subject and the main verb in each and discuss the differences.
* How much does it
cost?
subj. verb
*
Parents usually want to know how much it costs.
subj.
verb
Note to the Instructor: The aim of this task is to show students the difference between direct questions and noun clauses.
Therefore, you may use this task to help your students notice the difference in their use and function in a sentence.
2
The underlined parts in 1 are DIRECT QUESTIONS, but the ones in 2 are NOUN CLAUSES.
Remember that in the first term, you studied noun clauses beginning with “that”. You learned that
noun clauses beginning with THAT can be used:
a. after certain verbs
* Most parents say that they are happy with the day care center they use.
b. after certain adjectives
* Experts are sure that only a small percentage of children in day care centers receive high quality care.
c. as noun complements
* The most important problem is that children may not get enough attention at day care centers.
There are three types of noun clauses:
1. Noun Clauses beginning with THAT,
2. Noun Clauses beginning with a QUESTION WORD,
3. Noun Clauses beginning with IF or WHETHER.
Throughout this handout, you will study noun clauses with question words (when, where, how, etc.), and if
or whether. These noun clauses include a question in a statement or in another question. The following
sentences are examples of noun clauses with a question word and whether/if.
a.
b.
Parents usually want to know how much it costs.
Parents need to know if the caregiver is loving.
YES/NO QUESTIONS
WH- QUESTIONS
EXERCISE 4. Read the text again. Underline the questions and circle the noun clauses in the text.
Put them under the correct category in the box. (Note to the Instructor: You may also want to draw
your students’ attention to noun clauses with THAT in the text.)
A. DIRECT QUESTIONS
B. NOUN CLAUSES
* What does the caregiver do to spend
time with children?
* Parents usually want to know how much it costs.
* Who takes care of sick children at the
center? (subject question)
* A parent should also find out what the center
does when the child is ill.
* Parents should decide who will take care of
the child when he or she is ill.
* Parents should learn how many children there
are per caregiver.
* Does the caregiver hug the child, talk
to the child, smile at the child or play
with the child?
* Parents need to know if the caregiver is loving.
* They also wonder whether the caregiver
responds to the child’s needs.
* Is there a nurse or a doctor available to
help with medical care?
* Do caregivers know first aid?
3
I. NOUN CLAUSES WHICH BEGIN WITH A QUESTION WORD
These types of noun clauses are formed from WH-QUESTIONS. The word order in a noun clause with whwords is like a statement, NOT like a question (except in subject questions). Therefore, to change a whquestion into a wh-word clause:
 change the order to statement word order and
 delete auxiliary verbs like do, does or did, but keep the tense of the sentence as it is.
DIRECT QUESTION
NOUN CLAUSE
What should working mothers do?
I don’t know what working mothers should do.
Where is the day care center?
Can you tell me where the day care center is?
When do the children have lunch?
We want to learn when the children have lunch.
What does your child want?
Do you know what your child wants?
When did your child start to talk?
Do you remember when your child started to talk?
When the question is about the subject (i.e., a subject question), the word order in the noun clause doesn’t change.
DIRECT QUESTION
NOUN CLAUSE
Who informs the parents about the changes
in the center?
Do you know who informs the parents about
the changes in the center?
How many people take care of the children?
You should ask how many people take care of the
children.
What happened?
The caregiver didn’t tell me what happened.





Use a full stop when the main clause is a statement.

Use a question mark when the main clause is a question.

Some commonly used phrases to introduce noun clauses are:
I don’t know …
Please tell me ...
I’m not sure
I’d like to know ...
I wonder
I can’t understand ...
Nobody knows ...
I have no idea …
Do you know ...?
Do you remember ...?
We generally use noun clauses to sound more polite when asking for information.
e.g. How old are you?
Could you tell me how old you are? (more polite)
Where is the bus stop?
Do you know where the bus stop is? (more polite)
4
EXERCISE 5. Rewrite the questions as noun clauses.
DIRECT QUESTION
1. How does the caregiver spend time
with children?
2. Who takes care of sick children at the
center?
3. When does the semester end?
NOUN CLAUSE
1. I want to know how the caregiver spends time with
children.
2. We want to learn who takes care of sick children at the
center.
3. Can you tell me when the semester ends?
4. Where can the students buy their books? 4. Do you know where the students can buy their books?
5. Whose book is this?
5. I wonder whose book this is.
6. What happened in the previous class?
6. I don’t remember what happened in the previous class.
7. Who wants to leave early?
7. Do you know who wants to leave early?
8. What grade did you get on the exam?
8. I don’t remember what grade you got on the exam.
9. How many essays does the teacher want 9. Do you remember how many essays the teacher wants us to
us to write?
write?
10. How many quizzes have we had this 10. I don’t remember how many quizzes we have had this
semester?
semester.
11. When are they coming?
11. I don’t know when they are coming.
II. NOUN CLAUSES WHICH BEGIN WITH WHETHER OR IF
These types of noun clauses are formed from YES/NO QUESTIONS. Just like noun clauses beginning
with a question word, the word order in this type of noun clauses is like a statement, NOT like a question.
Therefore, to change a yes/no question into a noun clause:


change the order to statement word order and
delete auxiliary verbs like do, does or did, but keep the tense of the sentence as it is.
When a yes/no question is changed into a noun clause, whether or if is used to introduce a clause.
DIRECT QUESTION
NOUN CLAUSE
Will the children be safe?
I want to know if/whether the children will be safe.
Is this day care center good?
I don’t know if/whether this day care center is good.
Does the day care center have a lot of toys?
I wonder if/whether the day care center has a lot of toys.
Did you like the day care center?
I wonder if/whether you liked the day care center.
We can use or not in the following ways:
DIRECT QUESTION
Will the children be safe?
NOUN CLAUSE
I want to know whether the children will be safe or not.
I want to know if the children will be safe or not.
I want to know whether or not the children will be safe.
I want to know if or not the children will be safe. X
EXERCISE 6. Rewrite the questions as noun clauses. Try to use alternative ways of using “or not” in the
noun clauses.
5
DIRECT QUESTION
NOUN CLAUSE
1. Will you finish the report today?
1. I wonder whether/if you will finish the report today.
2. Is he having trouble with school?
2. I have no idea whether/if he is having trouble with school.
3. Would you like some coffee?
3. Please let me know whether/if you’d like some coffee.
4. Is the teacher American?
4. Do you know whether/if the teacher is American?
5. Does the teacher give a lot of homework?
5. Can you tell me whether/if the teacher gives a lot of homework?
6. Did everyone pass the test?
6. I don’t know whether/if everyone passed the test.
7. Do I need to write a paragraph?
7. I would like to know whether/if I need to write a paragraph.
8. Can you help us with the registration?
8. I wonder whether/if you can help us with the registration.
9. Was the office cleaned yesterday?
9. I wonder whether/if the office was cleaned yesterday.
10. Are there smoke alarms in the building?
10. Do you know whether/if there are smoke alarms in the
building?
11. Does the school have a cafeteria?
11. I’m not sure whether/if the school has a cafeteria.
12. Did you use to go to bed early?
12. Can you tell me whether/if you used to go to bed early?
EXERCISE 7. Read the paragraph and underline the noun clauses.
(Note to the Instructor: You may also want to draw your students’ attention to the use of relative clauses
in the text to compare their use with noun clauses.)
A professor of psychology at New York University has done research to find out why some students often
fail exams. Professor Iris Fodor conducted the research on the anxiety of some students before taking
exams. Professor Fodor stated that many students fail exams, and the reason for this is that they become
extremely nervous and cannot think logically when they are under stress during an exam. Extremely
nervous students forget everything that they have studied, and some even become sick before a test. Dr.
Fodor believes that the feelings of students who are taking the exam are very important. She worked with
fifty students and taught them how they could reduce their test anxiety and perform well on their exams.
She has found out that the students who took part in the program felt better after they learnt how to cope
with their anxiety. She told the students to do the following before a test:
1.
Breathe deeply and slowly to relax.
2.
Speak to yourself about positive and happy subjects and get rid of any negative thoughts.
3.
Be realistic. Don’t think that your life will end if you fail.
4.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you know that you have studied, do your best.
If they follow these simple suggestions, Professor Fodor is certain that many unusually nervous students
can perform better in test situations.
EXERCISE 8. Read the text about Internet use and fill in the blanks with the statements below. Make
any necessary changes! The statements are in the correct order.
6
WORRIES ABOUT INTERNET USE
A recent survey into Internet use has thrown up some worrying results.
The Stanford University survey asked respondents to answer a number of
questions about their Internet use. The researchers want to know (1) how
much time they spend on the Internet and (2) whether Internet use
affects the amount of time they spend with family and friends. The
answers to these questions were interesting but not unexpected. Twothirds of the respondents who took part in the survey are not sure about the
exact time of their Internet use, but they believe (3) that they do not
spend more than 5 hours a week on the Internet. Therefore, they think (4) that their Internet use
doesn’t affect the time they spend with family and friends. However, a quarter of the respondents who
use the Internet more than 5 hours a week are unhappy about (5) the fact that they cannot allocate time
for their family and friends.
Professor of Political Science at Stanford, Norman Nie, says we are moving from a world where we see our
neighbors every day and have a daily conversation with them to a place where interaction takes place at a
distance on the screen. Therefore, many people wonder (6) what our interaction will be like in the future
and (7) whether people can get a real hug or hear a warm voice. The results of the survey show (8) that
the Internet is turning people into solitary beings who cannot be bothered to call their mother on her
birthday.
1.
How much time do they spend on the Internet?
2.
Does Internet use affect the amount of time they spend with family and friends?
3.
They do not spend more than 5 hours a week on the Internet.
4.
Their Internet use doesn’t affect the time they spend with family and friends.
5.
They cannot allocate time for their family and friends.
6.
What will our interaction be like in the future?
7.
Can people get a real hug or hear a warm voice?
8.
The Internet is turning people into solitary beings.
EXERCISE 9. Below is the paraphrased version of the text MTR I, Text 152 “J.Y.COUSTEAU”.
Fill in the blanks with ONE WORD only.
7
J.Y. COUSTEAU
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born in Saint-Andre-de-Dubzac, France, in
1910. He (1) always loved the water and spent much of his early
childhood near it, swimming and tinkering with gadgets such as
underwater cameras and mechanical toys. In his early teens, he became
fascinated with films. He saved his money (2) to buy a home movie
camera. In his high school, Cousteau became bored with school and began
to cause trouble. His parents were quite worried about his school
performance. They couldn’t decide (3) what they should do about the
problem. Later, they sent him to a boarding school (4) where there were strict teachers.
After high school, he entered the French Armed Forces in 1993, (5) when he began his underwater
explorations and began working on a breathing machine for longer dives. In 1937, Cousteau married
Simone Malchoir, and they had two sons. Two years after their marriage, he fought for the French in
World War II,
(6) but he didn’t stop working on his machines. He still found time to continue his
underwater work. In 1943, he perfected the aqualung, (7) which allowed a diver to stay underwater for
several hours.
In 1950, Cousteau bought the boat Calypso to explore underwater. At first, he was not sure (8)
how/whether/if he could finance his trips because he had a limited budget for these trips. Then, he
thought (9) that he could finance his trips by increasing public awareness of his undersea investigations,
(10) so he produced many films and published many books, and he earned a lot of money. In 1956, (11)
thanks to Calypso and her crew, Cousteau’s position was cemented when he received an Academy
Award for his undersea documentary, The Silent World.
HOMEWORK. Read the text about dolphins and fill in the blanks with the statements below. The
statements are in the correct order. Make any necessary changes!
ARE THE DOLPHINS WHISTLING OR TALKING?
8
Dolphins have fascinated people for thousands of years. Amazing stories have been told about (1) how
seamen were saved by dolphins. In Greek mythology, they were considered to be the guardians, or
caretakers, of the oceans. Sailors have recounted stories about (2) how seamen have encountered these
animals. Why do these wild animals approach people? Why do they seem so friendly to people? Because
of their unusual behavior, dolphins have been widely studied in recent years. The two contradictory
findings resulting from these studies suggest (3) that dolphins have greater intelligence than human
beings and (4) that they are simply interesting, fun-loving animals, not exceptional ones.
John C. Lilly, M.D., is the leader of the group of people who think the dolphin has a brain
capacity larger than that of a human being. "I invite you to consider some new beliefs," he wrote recently,
"that these animals with huge brains are more intelligent than any man or woman.” It is not surprising (5)
that dolphins have huge brains. Sea mammals have remarkably large brains in general. The whale, for
example, has a brain six times the human size, and the dolphin has a brain about the same size as a human
brain. However, the size of the brain alone is not as significant as other factors. Dr. Harry Garrison, a
neurobiologist at the University of California, has developed "structural encephalization," a measurement
comparing the volume of the brain to the surface area of the body. He thinks that this measurement
indicates (6) how much of the brain’s capacity goes beyond the amount that is needed to handle
ordinary functions; that is, what is left for thinking. Using this method, Garrison places whales and
dolphins near human beings in terms of mental ability.
In contrast, a group of scientists think (7) that the intelligence of the dolphins has been greatly
overestimated. Jeff Morrison, a navy biologist, questions all methods of determining intelligence. If
people cannot accurately measure their own intelligence, how can they measure the intelligence of
dolphins? In addition, comparing the brain of an animal to that of a human being is a complex matter. It is
a fact (8) that the actual structure of the brain is different. Brain anatomy is as complicated as
determining intelligence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How were seamen saved by dolphins?
How have seamen encountered these animals?
Dolphins have greater intelligence than human beings.
They are simply interesting, fun-loving animals, not exceptional ones.
Dolphins have huge brains.
How much of the brain’s capacity goes beyond the amount that is needed to
handle ordinary functions?
7. The intelligence of the dolphins has been greatly overestimated.
8. The actual structure of the brain is different.
Optional TASK. Choose a famous person whom you know well, and pretend that you were that
person. Do not tell your classmates who you are. Prepare ten questions to ask your classmates to find
their identity. Then, change the questions that you have written into noun clauses to sound more
polite. Be careful with the punctuation.
9
NOTE TO THE INSTRUCTOR: You may ask your students to walk around the classroom to find the
identities of their classmates, or you may want to ask your students to do the task in pairs.
Suggested Questions:
DIRECT QUESTION
NOUN CLAUSE
1. Where are you from?
1. I want to know where you are from.
2. Are you male or female?
2. I wonder if / whether you are male or female.
3. What do you do?
3. Can you tell me what you do?
4. Where do you live?
4. Please tell me where you live.
5. How old are you?
5. Can you tell me how old you are?
6. What will you do in the next five years?
6. I want to know what you will do in the next five years.
7. Are you happy with your job?
7. I wonder if / whether you are happy with your job.
8. When did you become famous?
8. Can you tell me when you became famous?
References:
DBE Materials Archive, METU
Azar, B. S. (1999), Understanding and Using English Grammar, Longman.
Elbaum, Sandra N., Grammar In Context 3, Lesson 9, Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 2001.
10