Question

Read the sentence. We wondered about *whatever became of that little puppy*. The *bolded* words are what kind of clause?

Answer 1

Its a noun clause. You can tell because it's the object of the preposition "about," and objects are always nouns. A noun clause does the same thing a noun does.

Answer 2

Answer: The bolded words are a noun clause.

Explanation: A noun clause is a dependent clause. In other words, it is a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence because, unlike an independent sentence, it does not present a complete idea. Noun clauses are generally introduced by a relative pronoun, such as "what", "who" and "whatever". "Whatever became of that little puppy" is a noun clause because it does not express a full thought; therefore, it cannot stand by itself. Moreover, it has been introduced by the relative pronoun "whatever".