Read the following statements about the underlined noun clauses. Which of them are correct?
(A) Why the kitchen lights keep flickering puzzles even the electrician. Here the noun clause is the subject of the verb.
(B) The weather app warned that the low-lying roads might flood by evening. Here the noun clause is the complement of the verb.
(C) The trouble was that the geyser had stopped heating the water. Here the noun clause is the complement of the verb.
(D) The idea that Saturday would be a holiday pleased the whole staff. Here the noun clause is the object of the verb.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A) and (C) only
(A) Why the kitchen lights keep flickering puzzles even the electrician. Here the noun clause is the subject of the verb. — Correct.
- “Why the kitchen lights keep flickering” tells what puzzles the electrician. It comes before the verb “puzzles” and is its subject.
(B) The weather app warned that the low-lying roads might flood by evening. Here the noun clause is the complement of the verb. — Incorrect.
- “That the low-lying roads might flood by evening” tells what the app warned. It is the object of “warned”. A complement comes after a verb like is or was.
(C) The trouble was that the geyser had stopped heating the water. Here the noun clause is the complement of the verb. — Correct.
- “That the geyser had stopped heating the water” comes after “was” and tells what the trouble was. It completes the verb, so it is the complement.
(D) The idea that Saturday would be a holiday pleased the whole staff. Here the noun clause is the object of the verb. — Incorrect.
- “That Saturday would be a holiday” comes right after “the idea” and tells what the idea was. It is in apposition to “idea”. The object of “pleased” is “the whole staff”.