Wh - CLAUSE

Wh-words are what , when ,
where , who , which, why and
how .
We use clauses with a wh-
word :
In wh-questions (see
Questions and Negatives):
What are you doing?
Who ate all the pies?
Why did you do that?
after verbs of thinking :
know - understand -
suppose - remember -
forget - wonder
I know where you live.
She couldn’t remember who
he was.
John wondered what was
going to happen next.
NOTE : We also use clauses
with if
I wonder if we’ll see Peter.
She couldn’t remember if she
had posted the letter.
after verbs of saying:
ask - say - admit - argue -
reply - agree - mention -
explain - suggest
I asked what she wanted.
He tried to explain how the
accident had happened.
She wouldn’ t admit what she
had done.
Did he say when he would
come?
tell and some other verbs of
saying must always have a
direct object (see clauses,
sentences and phrases):
tell - remind
We tried to tell them what
they should do.
She reminded me where I
had left the car.
after some verbs of
thinking and saying we use
wh-words and the to-
infinitive :
We didn’t know what to do .
We will ask when to set off.
Nobody told me what to do .
Can anyone suggest where to
go for lunch?
NOTE : We use the to-
infinitive :
-- When the subject of the to-
infinitive is the same as the
subject of the main verb:
He didn’t know what to do
>>> He didn’t know what he
should do
We will ask when to set off
>>> We will ask when we
should set off
-- When the subject of the to-
infinitive is the same as the
person spoken to :
Nobody told me what to do .
>>> Nobody told me what I
should do.
Can anyone suggest where to
go for lunch? >>> Can anyone
suggest [to us ] where we
should go for lunch.
after some nouns to say
more about the noun :
Is there any reason why I
should stay ?.
Do you remember the day
when we went to Edinburgh .
That was the town where I
grew up.
We often use a wh-clause
after is :
I missed my bus. That’s why I
was late.
This is where I live.
That ’s what I thought.
Paris – that ’s where we are
going for our holidays.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4