A clause that is used in the same way as a noun or pronoun, as in I know WHAT HE WAS DOING THERE. What is this type of clause called?

A clause that is used in the same way as a noun or pronoun, as in I know WHAT HE WAS DOING THERE. What is this type of clause called?

• A. Noun clause
• B. Relative clause
• C. Adverbial clause
• D. Independent clause

Answer: (A)

The key idea is a clause that takes the place of a noun in the sentence. In I know what he was doing there, the whole clause what he was doing there acts as the direct object of know. It’s answering the question “what do I know?”, so it functions like a noun or pronoun would.

This isn’t a relative clause, because it isn’t modifying a noun in the sentence; it’s serving as a thing that’s being known. It isn’t an adverbial clause, which would tell when, where, why, or how something happened. And it isn’t an independent clause, since it can’t stand alone without the main clause I know. So the best label for this type is a noun clause.