Dependent Clauses: Noun (Nominal) Clauses

Noun clause merujuk pada kombinasi/kelompok kata yang mengandung question word/interrogative pronoun ('what', 'when', 'where', 'who', 'why', 'how' - termasuk ragam variasinya, misalnya: whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, dll.) atau subordinate conjunction ('that', 'whether', 'whether or not', 'if') yang diikuti oleh subjek dan predikat dan berfungsi seperti layaknya noun. Mengingat fungsi dan perilaku noun clause yang sama dengan noun, maka noun clause dapat mengisi posisi subjek kalimat, objek dari kata kerja, objek dari preposisi, dan pelengkap.

Penting untuk diingat bahwa noun clause (klausa kata benda) merupakan klausa berjenis dependent clause (klausa dependen) yang berarti bahwa noun clause tidak dapat berdiri sendiri karena tidak atau belum menggambarkan konsep secara utuh dan sempurna. Olehnya, ia membutuhkan klausa independen agar memiliki makna yang utuh. Berikut ini dua variasi dari pola noun clause.

  1. "Conjunction/QW" + "Subject" + "Predicate".
    • that coffee grows in Indonesia
    • what they said
  2. "QW (as subject)" + "Predicate".
    • what happened yesterday
    • who needs extra lesson
Dependent Clauses Examples Description
Adjective Clause The person who is standing beside my car is my son. 'who is standing beside my car' menerangkan subjek 'the person'.
Noun Clause Who is standing beside my car is my son. 'who is standing beside my car' adalah subjek dari kalimat.
Adverb Clause Since the person standing beside my car is my son, I would let him be. 'since the person standing beside my car' menjelaskan main clause.

Catatan: Noun clause, adjective clause, dan adverb clause dapat muncul dengan diawali dengan 'where'. Letak perbedaan diatara ketiganya dapat dilihat dan diidentifikasi berdasarkan rujukan dari klausa yang diidentifikasi.

  • Noun clause dengan 'where' berfungsi sebagai noun yang dapat menduduki posisi subjek, objek, atau komplemen. Misalnya: we know where the meeting is being held. Pada contoh ini, noun clause 'where the meeting is being held' berposisi sebagai objek dari verb 'know'.
  • Adjective clause dengan 'where' berfungsi sebagai adjective yang memodifikasi noun atau pronoun. Misalnya: the house where I grew up is now a museum. Pada contoh ini, 'where I grew up' merujuk kepada 'the house'.
  • Adverb clause dengan 'where' berfungsi sebagai adverb yang memodifikasi verb. Misalnya: we will go where the meeting is being held. Pada contoh ini, 'where the meeting is being held' menerangkan verb 'go'.

DeCapua (2017)1 menjelaskan bahwa noun clause dapat diidentifikasi melalui penggunaan subordinate conjunction 'that', 'whether' atau 'if' dan 'wh-question'.

  1. "That memperkenalkan noun clause yang mengikuti verbs, adjectives, atau nouns. "That" dalam kaitannya dengan noun clause dikenal juga dengan istilah 'complementizer that'.
  2. "Whether" (dan "wheter or not") atau klausa "if" memperkenalkan noun clause yang berasal dari pertanyaan yes/no questions.
  3. "Wh-question words" (e.g., "who", "when", "what") memperkenalkan noun clause yang berasal dari pertanyaan informasi.

Senada dengan pernyataan sebelumnya, Frank (1972)2 menjelaskan bahwa terdapat 4 kondisi dimana noun clause dapat digunakan, yakni dalam pernyataan (statement), pertanyaan (question) yang membutuhkan jawaban 'ya' dan/atau 'tidak', permintaan (request), dan seruan (exclamation).

  1. A Statement (Coffee grows in Indonesia). Applies introductory conjunction "that".
    • Subject: That coffee grows in Indonesia is well known.
    • Subject after it: It is well known that coffee grows in Indonesia.
    • Subjective: My understanding is that coffee grows in Indonesia.
    • Object of verb: We know that coffee grows in Indonesia.
    • Appositive: His belief that coffee grows in Indonesia is correct.
  2. A Question Expecting Yes or No (Will he get the coffee?). Applies introductory conjunction "whether" or "if".
    • Subject: Whether or not he gets the coffee does not concern me.
    • Subjective complement: The question is whether he will get the coffee.
    • Object of verb: Do you know whether he gets the coffee? or Do you know if he will get the coffee?
    • Object of preposition: We were concerned about whether he will get the coffee.
  3. Interrogative word question (How will he get the coffee?). Applies introductory conjunction "who, what, which, when, where, why, how".
    • Subject: How he gets the coffee is his own affair.
    • Subjective complement: The question is how he will get the coffee.
    • Object of verb: I do not know how he will get the coffee.
    • Object of preposition: We were concerned about how he would get the coffee.
  4. A Request (Write the mail soon). Applies introductory conjunction "that"".
    • Object of verb: He suggested that I write the mail soon.
  5. An Exclamation (What a handsome boy he is!). Applies introductory conjunction "what" & "how".
    • Object of verb: I had not realized what a handsome boy he was.
    • Object of preposition: We talked about what a handsome boy he was.

Noun clause acts like the subject or object of another clause - commonly in indirect speech.3

i Berikut ini beberapa contoh sederhana dari noun clause.

Example Noun Clause Converted to Noun Function
What I don't understand what you are trying to say. I don't understand it. Object of the verb "understand".
Who She doesn't know who won the competition. She does not know the winner. Object of the verb "know".
Whom She can't remember what she said. She can't remember it. Object of the verb "remember".
Whose I am curious about whose car is parked outside. I am curious about it. Object of the preposition "about".
Where Where he will go remains a mystery. It remains a mystery. Subject of the sentence.
When She asks me when the lecturer will teach. She asks me that. Direct object of verb "asks".
Why Why he behaves in such a strange way is a mystery that we have yet to solve. It is a mystery that we have yet to solve. Subject of the sentence.
How She explained to the class how the experiment works. She explained it. Object of the verb "explained".
Which I want to know which direction I should take. I want to know it.
That I believe that he is telling the truth. I believe it. Object of verb "believe".
Whether Whether I can make it is not important. It is not important. Subject of the sentence.
If He asked if I had finished the project. He asked it. Object of past verb "asked".

Posisi Noun Clause Didalam Kalimat

Mengingat noun clause berfungsi layaknya noun, maka noun clause dapat menempati posisi subject, object dan/atau complement kalimat. Selain itu, perlu diingat bahwa interrogative pronoun dan relative pronoun dapat menjadi subject dan/atau object kalimat jika tidak terdapat subject dan/atau object.

Noun Clause as Example (Noun Clause is in bold) Note
1. SUBJECT Whether he will attend the meeting is still unknown. "Whether he will attend the meeting" is the noun clause acting as the subject of the sentence.
What she said to me was completely unexpected. "What she said to me" is the noun clause acting as the subject of the sentence
That he is a good singer is well-known to everyone. "That he is a good singer" is the noun clause acting as the subject of the sentence
2. SUBJECT COMPLEMENT Her biggest fear is that she will never be happy. "that she will never be happy" is the noun clause acting as the subject complement of "is".
The problem is whether we can finish the project on time. "whether we can finish the project on time" is the noun clause acting as the subject complement of "is".
His dream was that he would become a successful businessman. "that he would become a successful businessman" is the noun clause acting as the subject complement of "was".
3. DIRECT OBJECT She believes that honesty is always the best policy. "that honesty is always the best policy" is the noun clause acting as the direct object of "believes".
They didn't realize that the store had closed early. "that the store had closed early" is the noun clause acting as the direct object of "realize"
He admitted that he had made a mistake. "that he had made a mistake" is the noun clause acting as the direct object of "admitted".
4. INDIRECT OBJECT I will give this book to whomever arrives first. or I will give whomever arrives first this book. "the book", which is a noun phrase that refers to the thing that will be given, acts as the direct object of the verb "give" and "whomever arrives first" is a noun clause functions as the indirect object of the verb "give".
The lecturer offered a book to whoever wanted to join the team. or The lecturer offered whoever wanted to join the team a book. Noun clause "whoever wanted to join the team" is the indirect object of the verb "offered".
The examiner will give some corrections to what you explained in the meeting. or The examiner will give what you explained in the meeting some corrections. Noun clause "what you explained" is the indirect object of the verb "will give".
5. OBJECT OF PREPOSITION He apologized for what he said yesterday. "What he said yesterday" is the object of the preposition "for".
She is interested in what you have to say. "What you have to say" is the object of the preposition "in".
6. SUBJECT & OBJECT / COMPLEMENT What you give is what you get. "what you give" is the subject of the sentence and "what you get" is the complement. Both noun clauses function as the subject and complement respectively, and they are connected by the linking verb "is". Each noun clause acts as a subject complement, describing or renaming the subject "what". The first noun clause "what you give" refers to the action one takes, while the second noun clause "what you get" refers to the result of the action.

Pola Noun Clause

DeCapua (2017) menjelaskan beberapa pola dari noun clause.

That-clause: Common verbs

Sesuai istilahnya, 'that-clause' merupakan klausa (terdiri dari subjek dan predikat) yang didahului oleh 'that'.

Berikut ini beberapa common verb yang biasanya diikuti oleh noun clause.
admit assume (dis)agree allege announce assert believe
claim complain conclude decide declare deny discover
doubt dream know expect explain feel find out
guess hear imagine learn notice observe predict

The use of "the fact that" (rather than "that") to introduce a noun clause subject emphasizes the factual nature of the subject2.

  1. She admits that she made a mistake.
  2. He assumes that she will be there on time.
  3. He agreed that the project needed to be finished by the end of the week.

That-clause with Indirect Object

Selanjutnya dijelaskan bahwa beberapa verb membutuhkan objek tidak langsung (indirect object). Beberapa jenis noun clause membutuhkan objek tidak langsung (indirect object) yang bersifat opsional. Selanjutnya, terdapat pula pola yang serupa dengan pola diatas namun diantarai dengan 'to'.

Verbs + Required Indirect Object Verbs + Optional Indirect Object Verbs + to + Optional Indirect Object
assure promise admit
convince show complain
inform teach explain
notify write mention
promise prove
remind reply
tell
  1. She assured me that she would be there on time.
  2. She promised that she would be there on time.
  3. The experiment showed that the hypothesis was correct.

Be + Adj. + 'That' Noun Clause & Noun + 'That' Noun Clause

Ketika klausa nomina "that" mengikuti "be + kata sifat", klausa nomina tersebut berposisi sebagai pelengkap (complement). Klausa "that" dalam hal ini merupakan konstituen kalimat yang memperluas makna dari klausa "be + adjective" dan memberikan informasi penjelas tentang klausa utama. Jenis klausa nomina "that" ini sering disebut sebagai 'noun complement that clause'.

Be + Adj. + 'That' Noun Clause Common Noun + 'That' Noun Clause
afraid advice
amazed agreement
annoyed assumption
angry belief
aware claim
certain conclusion
clear decision
concern fact
disappointed feeling
glad hope
grateful idea
happy impression
nervous message
obvious notion
pleased opinion
sorry prediction
sure promise
surprised threat
worried warning

Berikut ini beberapa contoh kongkrit dari pola "Be + Adj. + 'That' Noun Clause".

Example Note
1. It is clear that she has great talent for writing. "that she has great talent for writing" serves as the object of the verb "is clear". The entire clause acts as a single unit and functions as a noun, specifically as the subject complement of the verb "is".
2. It is disappointing that the conference was cancelled. "that the conference was cancelled" serves as the object of the verb "is disappointing". The entire clause acts as a single unit and functions as a noun, specifically as the subject complement of the verb "is".
3. It is obvious that he's not telling the truth. "that he's not telling the truth" serves as the object of the verb "is obvious". The entire clause acts as a single unit and functions as a noun, specifically as the subject complement of the verb "is".

Berikut ini beberapa contoh kongkrit dari pola "Common Noun + 'That' Noun Clause".

Example Note
1. Her belief that hard work pays off is admirable. "that hard work pays off", which serves as the object of the noun "belief". The entire clause acts as a single unit and functions as a noun, specifically as the subject complement of the verb "is".
2. His claim that he is innocent is being investigated. "that he is innocent", which serves as the object of the noun "claim". The entire clause acts as a single unit and functions as a noun, specifically as the subject of the verb "is being investigated".
3. The notion that technology will eventually solve all our problems is debatable. that technology will eventually solve all our problems", which serves as the object of the noun "notion". The entire clause acts as a single unit and functions as a noun, specifically as the subject of the verb "is debatable".

That-clause with Subjunctive

Selain itu, terdapat pula jenis noun clause yang muncul dengan pola 'simple verb' atau base verb'. Simple verb atau base verb dalam hal ini merujuk kepada jenis kata kerja berjenis subjunctive - yakni kata kerja tanpa inflectional ending dan kata kerja yang bukan bagian dari 'to infinitive'. Senada dengan pernyataan tersebut, Frank (1972) menjelaskan bahwa 'that-clause' setelah verbs of urgency (lihat Common Verbs + 'that' Noun Clause + Simple Verb pada tabel) membutuhkan bentuk sederhana dari verb (present subjunctive).

NOTE: Subjunctive digunakan untuk menyatakan situasi yang bersifat hipotetis, meragukan, atau bertentangan dengan kenyataan (keraguan, emosi, keinginan, saran, rekomendasi, dan penolakan). Dengan kata lain, penekanan dari pernyataan-pernyataan yang dimaksud tidak berbicara tentang fakta. Satu contoh penggunaan present subjunctive adalah "I suggest that he go". Materi tentang "Subjunctive" dibahas dalam course berjudul "Subjunctive Mood".

Common Verbs + 'that' Noun Clause + Simple Verb Common Adjectives in 'it' + 'be' + adjective + that Noun Clauses + Simple Verb
advise advisable
ask essential
beg necessary
command important
demand urgent
desire vital
direct
insist
propose
recommend
request
require
suggest
urge

Berikut ini beberapa contoh dari kedua jenis 'that-clause' diatas.

Common Verbs + 'that' Noun Clause + Simple Verb Common Adjectives in 'it' + 'be' + adjective + that Noun Clauses + Simple Verb
1. I suggest that he drive the car. It is necessary that she sell her car.
2. The lecturer requires that she submit her report by noon. It's urgent that he submit his proposal by the deadline.
3. She requested that I not tell anyone about her secret. It is essential that the project be completed by Friday.

Berikut ini contoh variasi penggunaan present subjunctive.

S P Introductory 'That' O/C
The committee suggested
suggests
had suggested
has suggested
will suggest		 that we hold more meetings.
everyhing be prepared in advance.
he not give the report.

Reduced Noun Clause

Noun clause dapat pula muncul dalam bentuk yang tereduksi. Penting untuk diingat bahwa reduced noun clause dilakukan dengan tidak mengubah arti dan makna dari kalimat. Berikutnya, jenis noun phrase yang muncul dalam bentuk reduksi adalah noun cause yang berposisi sebagai objek dari kata kerja dan/atau objek dari preposisi.

Reduksi Berdasarkan Subordinate Conjunction-nya

Berdasarkan penggunaan subordinate conjunction-nya, noun clause dapat dibedakan kedalam WH-question dan that-clause.

WH-Question

Cara mereduksi noun clause yang subordinate conjunction-nya berupa WH-question adalah dengan mengeliminasi subjek dan modal auxiliary verb dari noun clause dan mengubah verb dari noun clause kedalam bentuk 'to infinitive'.

  1. This document reveals how you should compose your research effectively. → This document reveals how to compose your research effectively
  2. I want to know which direction I should take. → I want to know which direction to take.

That

Untuk noun clause yang menggunakan subordinate conjunction 'that', reduksi dilakukan dengan cara mengeliminasi subjek dan auxiliary verb dari noun clause, mengkonversi kata kerja dari noun clause kedalam bentuk 'to infinitive', dan mengeliminasi subordinate conjunction 'that'.

  1. The journal editors claim that they will publish the new issue. → The journal editors claim to publish the new issue.
  2. The lecturer promised that he will consider easing the exam. → The lecturer promised that he will to consider easing the exam.

Reduksi Noun Clause Berdasarkan Metode Reduksinya

Berdasarkan metode reduksinya, noun clause dapat direduksi dengan mengeliminasi kata tertentu didalam noun clause dan melakukan pengubahan terhadap bagian dari tertentu dari noun clause kedalam 'to infinitive' atau 'gerund'.

To Infinitive Phrase

Untuk jenis ini, noun clause direduksi dengan mengeliminasi subordinator atau subordinate conjunction atau introductory 'that' dan mengubah frasa kata kerja kedalam bentuk 'to infinitive'.

  1. He advised me that I should review the manuscript. → He advised me to review the manuscript.
  2. I don't know what I should do. → I don't know what to do.
  3. Please inform where we will have the meeting. → Please inform us where to have the meeting.

Gerund Phrase

  1. I suggested that you make the decision faster. → I suggested making the decision faster.
  2. She acknowledged that she had taken the exam. → She acknowledged having taken the exam.
  3. She admitted that she wrote the letter. → She admitted writing the letter.

Outside The Class Activity

  • Identify if noun clause exist. If noun clause exists, underline it.
  • Describe the pattern of each noun clause, for example, does it come after a be + adjective construction?
  • In some of the noun clauses that has been omitted. Decide where it would go.
  1. ..... when students used a visual programming tool to write a program, they tended to focus on solving problems.4
  2. The findings have revealed that the fear of COVID-19 differs in terms of its intensity and scale across countries.5
  3. Knowledge base is storage where knowledge is collected, processed, and prepared for transfer as learning material.6
  4. ..... we propose a semi-supervised artificially intelligent chatbot framework that can automate parts of primary interaction and customer service.7
  5. Quantitative findings revealed that students showed substantial progress on the vocabulary tests and maintained their achievements after the study.8
  6. ..... students can report to their group members what they have finished and what they have yet to do or take turns doing a short ‘think-aloud’ as they work9.
  7. Hajimohammadi (2017) also found that learners’ resilience could predict these learners’ translation ability10.
  8. It has been noted that clitics have a number of special properties.11
  9. In this article we discuss the lives of English words in Contemporary Korean and Japanese, as well as the creative process of word making influenced by English that is currently flourishing in these languages.12
  10. What makes students dislike school subjects is not the school subjects themselves, but the teachers.13

  1. DeCapua, A. (2017). Grammar for Teachers: A Guide to American English for Native and Non-Native Speakers. Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-33916-0 ↩︎

  2. Frank, M. (1972). Modern English: Exercises for non-native speakers (2nd Ed.). Prentice Hall. ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Swan, M. & Walter, C. (2015). Oxford English Grammar Course: A grammar practice book for advanced students of English. Oxford University Press ↩︎

  4. Hsu, T.-C., Abelson, H., & Van Brummelen, J. (2022). The Effects on Secondary School Students of Applying Experiential Learning to the Conversational AI Learning Curriculum. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 23(1), 82-103. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v22i4.5474 ↩︎

  5. Munir, F., Anwar, A., & Kee, D. M. H. (2021). The Online Learning and Students’ Fear of COVID-19: Study in Malaysia and Pakistan: The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 22(4), 1-21. doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v22i4.5637 ↩︎

  6. Rahmah, A. (2015). Digital Literacy Learning System for Indonesian Citizen. Procedia Computer Science, 72, 94–101. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2015.12.109 ↩︎

  7. Paul, A., Haque Latif, A., Amin Adnan, F., & Rahman, R. M. (2018). Focused domain contextual AI chatbot framework for resource poor languages. Journal of Information and Telecommunication, 3(2), 248–269. doi: 10.1080/24751839.2018.1558378 ↩︎

  8. Arslantas, T.K., Yıldırım, S., & Arslantekin, B.A. (2019). Educational affordances of a specific web-based assistive technology for students with visual impairment. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–18. doi:10.1080/10494820.2019.1619587 ↩︎

  9. Greenier, V. T. (2018). The 10Cs of project-based learning TESOL curriculum. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1–10. doi:10.1080/17501229.2018.1473405 ↩︎

  10. Subekti, A. S. (2021). Indonesian Learners’ Self-directed Learning and Resilience in Online English Classes: Assessing Interaction with L2 Achievement. IJEE (Indonesian Journal of English Education), 8(1), 1-16. doi: 10.15408/ijee.v8i1.20681 ↩︎

  11. Muntendam, A., & Muysken, P. (2021). Clitics in language contact. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1–9. doi:10.1080/13670050.2021.1900056 ↩︎

  12. Kiaer, J., & Bordilovskaya, A. (2017). Hybrid English words in Korean and Japanese: a strange brew or an asset for global English? Asian Englishes, 19(2), 169–187. doi:10.1080/13488678.2016.1278116 ↩︎

  13. Bashori, M., van Hout, R., Strik, H., & Cucchiarini, C. (2020). Web-based language learning and speaking anxiety. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1–32. doi:10.1080/09588221.2020.1770293 ↩︎