grammar In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...

, a dependent statement is a statement converted into a noun clause, normally, in English, by the addition of ''that'' at the beginning, and made dependent on another clause (e.g. as subject or object). For example, the statement ''I had saved his brother'' appears as object of the verb ''knew'' in the following quotation: I would he knew ''that I had saved his brother!'' (Shakespeare). The statement ''They were unprepared'' is made subject of ''is'' in the following: ''That they were unprepared'' is obvious. Further examples: Methoughts ''that I had broken from the Tower'' (Shakespeare). His majesty hath straitly given in charge ''that no man shall have private conference, of what degree soever, with his brother'' (Shakespeare). You shall confess ''that you are both deceived'' in a good way (Shakespeare).

Bibliography

* Onions, C.T. (1971). ''Modern English Syntax''.

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

. p. 47. English grammar {{grammar-stub