The document discusses wh-word clauses, which are dependent noun clauses introduced by a wh-word such as who, what, where, when, why, how much, etc. It provides examples of wh-word clauses and their structure. Key points include:
1) A wh-word clause can have the structure of wh-word + subject + verb + complement or wh-word + verb + complement.
2) The word order in wh-word clauses can be confusing for English learners.
3) To change a wh-question to a wh-word clause, change the word order to subject-verb if needed and remove do/does/did.
The document discusses wh-word clauses, which are dependent noun clauses introduced by a wh-word such as who, what, where, when, why, how much, etc. It provides examples of wh-word clauses and their structure. Key points include:
1) A wh-word clause can have the structure of wh-word + subject + verb + complement or wh-word + verb + complement.
2) The word order in wh-word clauses can be confusing for English learners.
3) To change a wh-question to a wh-word clause, change the word order to subject-verb if needed and remove do/does/did.
The document discusses wh-word clauses, which are dependent noun clauses introduced by a wh-word such as who, what, where, when, why, how much, etc. It provides examples of wh-word clauses and their structure. Key points include:
1) A wh-word clause can have the structure of wh-word + subject + verb + complement or wh-word + verb + complement.
2) The word order in wh-word clauses can be confusing for English learners.
3) To change a wh-question to a wh-word clause, change the word order to subject-verb if needed and remove do/does/did.
The document discusses wh-word clauses, which are dependent noun clauses introduced by a wh-word such as who, what, where, when, why, how much, etc. It provides examples of wh-word clauses and their structure. Key points include:
1) A wh-word clause can have the structure of wh-word + subject + verb + complement or wh-word + verb + complement.
2) The word order in wh-word clauses can be confusing for English learners.
3) To change a wh-question to a wh-word clause, change the word order to subject-verb if needed and remove do/does/did.
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WH – WORD CLAUSES
A wh-word clause is a dependent noun clause in which the
subordinator is a wh-word such as who, what, where, when, why, how much, how long, which, etc. A wh-word clause is composed of either
wh-word + subject + verb + complement
... who the president of South Africa is. ... how many citizens voted in the last election. or (when the wh-word and the subject of the clause are the same word)
wh-word + verb + complement
... who made the error. ... what happened at the student body meeting.
The word order in these clauses sometimes causes problems for
learners of English as a second language. It may seem strange not to follow words such as who and when with a verb. However, just remember that the word order in a noun clause is like a statement, not like a question.
To change a wh-question into a wh-word clause:
Change the word order to SV statement word order if necessary. Delete do, does, or did. Let’s look at the examples in chart below:
WH-QUESTIONS WH-WORD CLAUSES
Who started the band? ... who started the band. S V S V Which vocalists have sung with the group? ... which vocalists have sung with the group. S V S V How often does the group perform during the year? ... how often the group performs during the year. V S S V Who is the lead singer? ... who the lead singer is. V S S V Here are examples of complex sentences containing wh-word clauses:
INTRODUCTORY WH-WORD CLAUSE
CLAUSE SUBORDINATOR-SUBJECT VERB (+COMPLEMENT) I don’t know who started the band. Can you tell us which vocalists have sung with the group? SUBORDINATOR SUBJECT VERB (+COMPLEMENT) I can’t remember how often the group performs during the year. We asked who the lead singer was.
I. Circle the correct answer.
1. Do you know what time is it / it is? 2. Why are you / you are going away? 3. I don’t know where are they / they are going. 4. Can you tell me where is the museum / the museum is? 5. Where do you want / you want to go for your holidays? 6. Do you know what do elephants eat / elephants eat? 7. Please tell me how old are you / you are. 8. Tell me whom you saw / saw you at the party. 9. I wonder why is Tom / Tom is absent. 10. You haven’t told me whose car is this / this is.
II. Complete the sentences.
1. (Where is Paula?) Do you know where Paula is?
2. (How do aeroplanes fly?) Do you know ________________________?
3. (Where does Susan work?) I don’t know __________________________
4. (What did Peter say?) Do you remember ___________________?
5. (Why did he go home early) I don’t know __________________________
6. (What does Ann want?) Do you know _____________________?
7. (What time does the film begin?) Do you know __________________?
8. (How did the accident happen?) I don’t remember _______________
9. (What time does she start work?) Do you know __________________?
10. (Where do Sarah and Tim live?) Do you know __________________?
III. Answer these questions with I don’t know where / when / why ... etc.
1. (where) I don’t know where they’ve gone.
1. Have your friends gone home? 2. (where) _____________________________ 2. Is Kate in her office? 3. (how old) ____________________________ 3. Is the castle very old? 4. (when) ______________________________ 4. Will Paul be here soon? 5. (why) _______________________________ 5. Was he angry because I was late? 6. (how long) ___________________________ 6. Has Sally lived here a long time?
IV. Use your own ideas to complete these sentences.
1. Do you know why the bus was late? 2. Do you know what time ____________________________________? 3. Excuse me, can you tell me where ______________________________? 4. I don’t know what _________________________? 5. I’m curious where ________________________? 6. I don’t know who _____________________?
V. Answer the questions correctly.
1. Ann brought (a new dictionary). Question: What did Ann buy? Noun Clause: Do you know ____________________________ a) What Ann buy. b) What Ann bought. c) What did Ann buy. d) What did Ann bought.
2. It is (350 miles) to Denver from here. Question: How far is it from here to Denver? Noun Clause: I need to know _____________________________ a) How far it is from Denver to here. b) How far it is from here to Denver? c) How far is it from here to Denver. d) How far it is from here to Denver.
3. Jack was late to class (because he missed the bus). Question: Why was Jack late? Noun Clause: The teacher wants to know _________________________ a) Why Jack did late. b) Why Jack was late c) What made Jack late. d) Why was Jack late.
4. That is (Ann’s) pen. Question: Whose pen is that? Noun Clause: Tom wants to know _______________________________ a) Whose pen that is. b) Whose pen is that. c) Whose pen is that is. d) Whose pen this is.
5. Alex saw (Ms. Frost) at the meeting. Question: Whom did Alex see at the meeting? Noun Clause: I don’t know _____________________________ a) Whom Alex saw at the meeting. b) Whom Alex see at the meeting. c) Whom did Alex saw in the meeting. d) Whom did Alex saw at the meeting. VI. Reading Comprehension Underline WH-word clauses in the dialog below.
At the airport
Immigration officer : Good morning, sir.
Jack Wilson : Good morning.
Officer : May I see your passport, please?
Jack : Yes, certainly.
Officer : Thank you. Can you tell me which flight you
arrived on, Mr. Wilson?
Jack : Yes. The British Airways flight from
Heathrow.
Officer : I see. Could you tell me how long you’ll be
staying in the United States, sir?
Jack : Three weeks.
Officer : Do you have a return ticket?
Jack : Yes, I do – on 14 July. Would you like to see
the ticket?
Officer : No, that’s OK. Could you tell me what the
purpose of your visit is?
Jack : I’m visiting my family. My uncle lives here.
Officer : May I ask where you will stay, sir?
Jack : At his house in Boston.
Officer : Will you visit any other cities during your
stay?
Jack : Yes, we will probably travel a bit. I’d like to
see New York.
Officer : OK. Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Enjoy your stay.
Match the questions (1 – 7) with the answers (a – g)
1. Could you tell me where you’re flying to, madam? a) Yes, I did.
2. Could you tell me if you’re flying alone? b) No, not in my hand
luggage. 3. Can you tell me how many bags you have? c) Yes, I’m flying to Bristol.
4. Could you tell me if you packed your bag yourself? d) No, they didn’t.
5. May I ask if anyone gave you anything to carry? e) Yes, I’m on my own.
f) Yes, I’ve got one piece
6. Can you tell me what you will take on the plane? of hand luggage. 7. May I ask if you’re carrying any liquids? g) Just one.
VII. Correct the errors.
1. Please tell me what is your name. Please tell me what your name is. 2. No one seems to know when will Maria arrive. ________________________ 3. I wonder why was Bob late for class. ___________________________________ 4. I don’t know what does that word mean. ______________________________
5. I wonder does the teacher know the answer?
6. Be sure to tell the doctor where does it hurt.
7. I wonder does Tom know about the meeting or not.
8. I need to know who is your teacher.
9. I don’t understand why is the not running properly.
10. My youngest brother wants to know where do the stars go in the
