Noun Clauses: I Don’t Know…Worksheet

Imagine this: You are at a party at a friend’s house. The door opens, and this guy walks in.

A. Read the conversation between two people at the party.

Speaker 1: Who is he? Do you know?
Speaker 2: No, I don’t know who he is.

Speaker 2’s sentence—No, I don’t know who he is—has a noun clause. The noun clause is: who he is. It is the object of the verb know. Notice that question word order is not used in a noun clause.

B. Continue the conversation about the Martian at the party. Complete each sentence with a noun clause. (The first one is done for you.)

1. Who is he? Do you know?
No, I don’t know who he is.
2. Where is he from? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.
3. Why is he here? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.
4. Whose friend is he? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.
5. What is his native language? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.
6. How old is he? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.
7. Where is his spaceship? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.
8. When is he going back to his planet? Do you know?
No, I don’t know _____________________________________________.

C. When you are finished writing, read the questions and answers aloud with a partner.

Answer Key
1. No, I don’t know who he is.
2. No, I don’t know where he is from. OR No, I don’t know where he’s from.
3. No, I don’t know why he is here. OR No, I don’t know why he’s here.
4. No, I don’t know whose friend he is.
5. No, I don’t know what his native language is.
6. No, I don’t know how old he is.
7. No, I don’t know where his spaceship is. OR No, I don’t know where it is.
8. No, I don’t know when he is going back. OR No, I don’t know when he’s going back.

Copyright © 2017 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Photo © Davi Sales | Dreamstime.com. Reprinted with permission.