Identify the kind of the underlined clause in the following sentence:
The size of this year’s mango crop depends largely on how much rain falls in April.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Noun clause
Here “on” is a preposition. The crop depends on what? On “how much rain falls in April”.
| Clause | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Noun clause (answer) | does the work of a noun; like a noun, it can come after a preposition | We argued about who should wash the dishes. |
| (2) Adverb clause | tells when, where, why or how an action happens; this clause names the thing the crop depends on | We went out after the rain stopped. |
| (3) Adjective clause | describes a noun that comes just before it; this clause comes after the preposition “on” | The mangoes that Nani sent were very sweet. |
| (4) Principal clause | the main clause; it makes full sense on its own | The match was stopped because the light was poor. |