For example, Ruth Ginsbitrg, Texas, and Microsoft Corporation are proper nouns. Woman, state, and company are common nouns. The most obvious distinction between proper nouns and common nouns is that proper nouns are capitalized. Compare the proper nouns and correspond-ing common nouns in the following list. | 90 Noun Phrases Exercise Underline the infinitive phrases in the following sentences. Then shift the phrases to the end of the sentence using a dummy it in the subject position. To complete our research on time was important for the project. It was important for the project to complete our research on time. 1. To get finished on time was a great feeling. 2. To unite the voters behind his candidacy was Senator Blather s goal. 3. To miss three meetings in a row was totally out of character. 4. To make the criminals pay for their crimes was of utmost importance. 5. To cut too many corners was just asking for trouble. 6. To begin eating while the hostess was in the kitchen seemed terribly rude. 7. To meet all the course prerequisites is the responsibility of every applicant. 8. To see the landscape with fresh eyes is the gift of a great painter. 9. To enforce the laws is the first obligation of a policeman. 10. To get a clear picture of what was going on seemed necessary. 7 Noun Clauses Noun clauses are dependent clauses that function as noun phrases. Dependent clauses have their own subjects and verbs but they are not able to stand alone as complete sentences. Noun clauses like gerunds and infinitives used as nouns are singular and thus they can always be replaced by the third-person singular pronoun it. Here are examples of noun clauses playing the four noun roles of subject object of verb object of preposition and predicate nominative the complement of a linking verb . The noun clauses are underlined and the examples also show how it can substitute for the noun clause. it Subject What they are doing is none of our business. it Object of verb I know what you mean. it Object of preposition We worried about where you had gone. it Predicate nominative The decision was that we will go ahead as we had planned. There are different ways of constructing noun clauses. In this book we will cover the two main ways of forming noun clauses which are usually referred to by the
