In
grammar
In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structure, structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clause (linguistics), clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraint ...
, a content clause is a
dependent clause
A subordinate clause, dependent clause, subclause, or embedded clause is a clause that is embedded within a complex sentence. For instance, in the English sentence "I know that Bette is a dolphin", the clause "that Bette is a dolphin" occurs as t ...
that provides content implied or commented upon by an
independent clause
An independent clause (or main clause) is a clause that can stand by itself as a ''simple sentence''. An independent clause contains a subject and a predicate and makes sense by itself.
Independent clauses can be joined by using a semicolon or ...
. The term was coined by Danish linguist
Otto Jespersen
Jens Otto Harry Jespersen (; 16 July 1860 – 30 April 1943) was a Danish linguist who specialized in the grammar of the English language. Steven Mithen described him as "one of the greatest language scholars of the nineteenth and twentieth ce ...
. They are also known as noun clauses.
English
In
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, there are two main kinds of content clauses: declarative content clauses (or ''that''-clauses), which correspond to
declarative sentence
In linguistics and grammar, a sentence is a linguistic expression, such as the English example "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." In traditional grammar, it is typically defined as a string of words that expresses a complete thought, ...
s, and interrogative content clauses, which correspond to
interrogative sentence
An interrogative clause is a clause whose form is typically associated with question-like meanings. For instance, the English sentence (linguistics), sentence "Is Hannah sick?" has interrogative syntax which distinguishes it from its Declarative s ...
s.
Declarative content clauses
Declarative content clauses can have a number of different grammatical roles. They often serve as
direct objects of verbs of reporting, cognition, perception, and so on. In this use, the
conjunction
Conjunction may refer to:
* Conjunction (grammar), a part of speech
* Logical conjunction, a mathematical operator
** Conjunction introduction, a rule of inference of propositional logic
* Conjunction (astronomy), in which two astronomical bodies ...
''that'' may
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
the clause, but is often omitted:
*''He told her (that) she was smart.''
*''She thought (that) he was friendly.''
*''I hear (that) they've started dating.''
*''They wish (that) they had met earlier.''
Similarly with certain verb-like
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that generally grammatical modifier, modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Tra ...
s:
*''I'm not sure (that) he was right.''
*''Convinced (that) he could manage it without help, he decided to proceed.''
They also often serve as
complements of nouns—both nouns corresponding to the above verbs, and nouns like ''fact'', ''idea'', and so on. Here, ''that'' is almost always included:
*''... our hope that someday the whole world will know peace ...''
*''... the fact that all matter obeys the same physical laws ...''
*''... the idea that a son would do such a thing to his father ...''
Finally, they can serve as
subjects, as complements of
predicative adjectives in clauses with
linking verbs or in
small clauses
Small may refer to:
Science and technology
* SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language
* Small (anatomy), the lumbar region of the back
* ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication
* <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text
...
or as object complements. In this latter use, they are commonly postponed to the end of their main clause, with an
expletive ''it'' standing in their original place as subject:
*''It startled me that the students were so advanced.''
*''It is important that we remember this day.''
*''I find it sad that he doesn't know the answer.''
*''It annoys me that she does that.''
Here as before, a conjunction is almost always included, although it does not need to be ''that'':
*''I like (it) when she comes to visit.''
*''It bothers me how she doesn't care what he wants.''
Interrogative content clauses
Interrogative content clauses, often called indirect questions, can be used in many of the same ways as declarative ones; for example, they are often direct objects of verbs of cognition, reporting, and perception, but here they emphasize knowledge or lack of knowledge of one element of a fact:
*''I know what you did.''
*''I can't guess how he managed it.''
*''I wonder whether I looked that bad.''
*''She asked where the files were.''
Such clauses correspond to direct questions, which are
question
A question is an utterance which serves as a request for information. Questions are sometimes distinguished from interrogatives, which are the grammar, grammatical forms typically used to express them. Rhetorical questions, for instance, are inte ...
s actually asked. The direct questions corresponding to the examples above are ''What did you do? How did he manage it? Did I look that bad? Where are the files?'' Notice how, in English (and in some other languages), different
syntax
In linguistics, syntax () is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure ( constituency) ...
is used in direct and indirect questions: direct questions normally use subject-verb
inversion
Inversion or inversions may refer to:
Arts
* , a French gay magazine (1924/1925)
* ''Inversion'' (artwork), a 2005 temporary sculpture in Houston, Texas
* Inversion (music), a term with various meanings in music theory and musical set theory
* ...
, while indirect questions do not. Reported questions (as in the last of the examples) are also subject to the
tense and other changes that apply generally in
indirect speech
In linguistics, indirect speech (also reported speech or indirect discourse) is a grammatical mechanism for reporting the content of another utterance without directly quoting it. For example, the English sentence ''Jill said she was coming'' i ...
. For more information see
interrogative mood
An interrogative clause is a clause whose form is typically associated with question-like meanings. For instance, the English sentence "Is Hannah sick?" has interrogative syntax which distinguishes it from its declarative counterpart "Hannah is ...
and
English grammar
English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, Sentence (linguistics), sentences, and whole texts.
This article describes a generalized, present-day Standard English ...
.
Indirect questions can serve as adjective and noun complements. Here, in English, they are generally introduced by a preposition, especially ''of'':
*''… the question (of) who was responsible …''
*''… his curiosity over how it happened …''
*''… sure of what he had seen … ''
Like declarative content clauses, they are often postponed to the end of their main clause, with an expletive ''it'' standing in their original place, when they serve as the subject of a verb, or as the direct object of a verb that links them to a predicative:
*''It is not known where they came from.''
*''I find it encouraging how many young women are pursuing careers in science.''
See also
*
Direct discourse
As a form of transcription, direct or quoted speech is spoken or written text that reports speech or thought in its original form phrased by the original speaker. In narrative, it is usually enclosed in quotation marks, but it can be enclosed in g ...
*
Embedded clause
A subordinate clause, dependent clause, subclause, or embedded clause is a clause that is embedded within a complex sentence. For instance, in the English sentence "I know that Bette is a dolphin", the clause "that Bette is a dolphin" occurs as th ...
*
Propositional attitude
A propositional attitude is a mental state held by an agent toward a proposition.
Linguistically, propositional attitudes are denoted by a verb (e.g. "believed") governing an embedded "that" clause, for example, 'Sally believed that she had won ...
*
Quotation
A quotation is the repetition of a sentence, phrase, or passage from speech or text that someone has said or written. In oral speech, it is the representation of an utterance (i.e. of something that a speaker actually said) that is introduced by ...
*
Slifting In linguistics, slifting is a grammatical construction in which the embedded clause of a propositional attitude, speech report, or emotive is preposed. For instance the English sentence ''Nick is a great singer, Sara claims'' is the slifted variant ...
External links
The difference between the terms ''content clause'' and ''complement clause''
{{formal semantics
Grammar
Syntax
Semantics