What is the function of the underlined noun clause in the sentence?
The hope that the missing puppy would come home kept the children awake till midnight.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → In apposition to a noun
The clause tells what the hope was. “That” cannot be changed to “which”, so the clause does not describe the noun. It explains it.
| Option | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Subject of the verb | the clause itself is the subject; here the subject of “kept” is the noun “The hope” | That he lied upset everyone. |
| (2) Object of the verb | comes after a verb and answers “what?”; here the object of “kept” is “the children” | She said that the bus was late. |
| (3) Object of a preposition | comes after a word like “about” or “on”; no preposition comes before the underlined clause | We talked about what we should cook. |
| (4) In apposition to a noun (answer) | comes right after a noun and tells what that noun is; nouns like hope, fact, news and belief often take such a clause | Her belief that hard work pays never changed. |