Noun Clauses with Wh-question words

Noun clauses can be introduced with wh- question words. The word you choose will depend on the information you want to present in the clause. Because it is a clause and not a question, the subject and verb stay in their normal sentence order. The following is a list of words you can use to form this type of noun clause: who, whom, what, when, where, which, how, how much, how many, why. Noun clauses can still be used in questions, but the S-V order in the noun clause does NOT change.

Examples:

I want to know what she is doing right now. (object of a verb)

Notice that the noun clause is giving more information about the verb "know." Also, because it is a clause, the subject and verb DO NOT change order even though we are using a question word (what).

Students wonder when the deadline is for the assignment. (object of a verb)

Do you know where the campus library is? (object of a verb) 

In this example, the noun clause is part of a question. "Do you know" is asking the question, and "where the campus library is" is giving additional information.

The professor tried to explain how quantum physics works. (object of an infinitive)

Wondering how many people had attended, the event coordinator reviewed the guest information. (object of a participle)

Can you tell me how much this textbook costs? (object of a verb)

When using "tell," there must also be an indirect object (me in this example).

 NOTE: Remember to keep S-V order when using noun clauses. The following sentence is incorrect: I want to know what is she doing right now.