Final answer:
The clause 'that number 12 was going to make a home run' in the sentence provided is a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb 'believed'. Noun clauses act as nouns within sentences, and understanding them is key to proper subject/verb agreement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sentence in question, 'We believed that number 12 was going to make a home run.', contains a noun clause. A noun clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb that acts as a noun within a sentence. In this case, 'that number 12 was going to make a home run' is the noun clause functioning as the object of the verb 'believed'. This noun clause is crucial to understand because it represents a complete thought and adds content to the verb.
Understanding the subject of a sentence is essential in achieving proper subject/verb agreement. For instance, 'The play comes highly recommended.' Here, 'play' is the subject, and it agrees with the singular verb 'comes.' Meanwhile, a noun clause as the subject would still command a singular verb because the entire clause is singular in function. Additionally, clauses can be independent, meaning they can stand alone, or dependent, requiring the main clause to convey a complete thought, as seen in the example above.