Simple sentences are sentences that contain only one clause. Complex sentences, too, contain a single clause known as the main, independent, super ordinate, or matrix clause. In addition to the main clause, however, complex sentences also contain one or more subordinate or dependent clauses. For example, the sentences

• Because the evening was terribly chilly, we lit a roaring fire
and
• The puppy will sleep through the night assuming he tires himself out

are complex because both contain the subordinate clauses Because the evening was terribly chilly and assuming he tires himself out as well as the main clauses we lit a roaring fire and The puppy will sleep through the night. As constituents of the sentence as a whole, subordinate clauses are not arguments of the predicate and therefore not subjects or objects but instead function as modifiers of the entire main clause. The four forms of clauses in English are verb clause, noun clause, adjective clause, and adverb clause. Verb clauses perform three grammatical functions: declaration, question, and command. Noun clauses perform eight functions: subject, subject complement, direct object, object complement, indirect object, prepositional complement, adjective phrase complement, and appositive. Adjective clauses perform the single function of noun phrase modifier. Adverbs perform the single function of adverbial.

INTRODUCTION 3
1 The Forms and Functions of Clauses in English 4
1.1 Subordination 6
1.2 Clauses that function in the nominal range 7
2 Forms and functions of noun clauses 10
2.1 Forms 10
2.2 Functions 11
2.3 Noun clauses classified according to internal structure 13
2.4 Reduction of noun clauses 15
CONCLUSION 17
REFERENCES 18