Study materials
Compare two sentences. In the second, a whole idea stands where a single word usually would.
The delay surprised nobody.
That they were late surprised nobody.
Both subjects do the same job. The second one is simply a whole clause packed into a noun role. Such clauses are called noun clauses.
Three ways to pack an idea
The opening word depends on what you are embedding: a statement, an open question, or a yes-no question.
| What is embedded | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a statement | that | I believe that the plan will work. |
| an open question | what, who, where, why, how | I don't know where she lives. |
| a yes-no question | whether, if | I wonder whether it is ready. |
The word that is often dropped after a verb, and the sentence does not suffer: I believe the plan will work.
Four roles in a sentence
A packed idea can stand almost anywhere a noun stands.
That she resigned shocked everyone.
Nobody knew what he meant.
The problem is that we have no data.
The fact that he apologised changed nothing.
In the last case that cannot be dropped: it holds the link to the noun fact.
Inside it is always statement order
Here is the main rule of the topic. Whatever question word opens the clause, the order inside it is that of a statement: subject first, verb second.
I don't know where she lives.
Tell me what the problem is.
The helpers do, does and did disappear too, and their ending returns to the verb.
There is one exception, and it only looks like one: if the question word is itself the subject, nothing needs rearranging and the clause looks like a direct question.
Nobody knows who called.
A long subject moves to the end
A sentence opening with a long that-clause sounds top-heavy. So English often puts a formal it at the front and pushes the idea itself to the back.
That they agreed so quickly was surprising.
It was surprising that they agreed so quickly.
The second version is more natural almost every time. That is why a that-clause at the front of a sentence is rare in real writing.
The mistakes everyone makes
The first is keeping question word order.
I don't know where does she live. → I don't know where she lives.
The second is dropping that where it holds a noun.
The fact he apologised changed nothing. → The fact that he apologised changed nothing.
The third is taking if where the clause is a subject or follows a preposition.
We talked about if it was possible. → We talked about whether it was possible.
All three are caught by one test. Read the embedded clause on its own. If it sounds like a calm statement, everything is in place.
Try it right now
Take one news item and describe it in English in three sentences: with a that-clause as an object, with a wh-clause, and with a formal it at the front.
Then read each embedded clause on its own and check the word order inside it.