What is a noun clause and how to identify a noun clause in a sentence can be pretty demanding at times?  I’m going to discuss noun clauses with some of its examples.

Firstly, a clause has always a subject and a verb. A noun clause always acts as a noun, whatever a noun can do, a noun clause can also do. We know that a noun can be used as 

• Subject 
• Direct Object
• Indirect Object 
• Objects of Preposition
•  Object Complement 
• Predicate Noun  
• Appositive.

So a noun clause can perform all these functions of a noun, they are just a bit longer. They usually begin with one of the following subordinate conjunctions: How, that, what, whatever, when, where, which, whichever, who, whom, whomever, whose, and why.

Some of these words appear in adjective and adverb clauses as well. To differentiate between the noun clauses from others, we have just to look how the clause functions in a sentence. 
Let’s look at some examples of noun clauses.

I said above that noun clause begins with one of those given subordinate conjunction, remember? In the sentence, our trigger word is “Whoever” (the subject of the sentence), it gives us a clue that our noun clause starts from this word. Let’s look for the whole noun clause now. After the subject, we have the verb “visits” and our whole noun clause is “Whoever visits our shop”.  As this clause is at the beginning of the sentence, so there is a strong chance that it works as a subject of the sentence. To verify this, we can use substitution principle here. As I said, a noun clause can work as a noun; therefore, if I substitute a noun here, then our noun must be functioning as a subject. Let’s see.

I substitute a simple noun, say Amir, then our sentence becomes:

The substitution word tells us how the noun clause functioning in the sentence. It is clear that it is functioning as a subject.

Let’s look at another example of noun clauses

First, we have to look for our trigger word, which is “that” in the sentence. Now probably everything that follows our trigger word is the rest of the clause but let’s first look at the subject and verb.

The subject and verb are “thief” and “would be” followed by the prepositional phrase “in the jail”. Therefore, our whole noun clause is “that the thief would be in jail”.

How is it functioning in the sentence?

The subject and verb of the overall sentence are “I” and “believed”. The verb, being transitive, must be followed by the direct object.

I believed what? I believed the thief would be in jail. If I substitute the noun phrase with a simple noun, say Naina, then our sentence becomes “ I believed Naina” which clearly makes sense. Therefore, our noun phrase is acting as a direct object.

Let's take another example of a noun clause.

Our noun class is “whomever stood first in the class”. But how is it functioning in a sentence? 
The noun class follows the preposition “to” and we know that prepositions cannot exist by themselves, they need objects. Therefore, our noun clause is functioning as the object of the preposition to.

Now let’s look at a complicated example of a noun clause

Now there are two words that are introducing noun clauses: what and that. Here our first clause is “what I did not know” and the second one is “that terrorists had no religion”. Both of the clauses are connected by the linking verb “was”.

Let’s substitute two different nouns to test how both of the clauses are functioning in the sentence. Suppose I replace the first clause with a noun, say Ali, and the second clause with a noun, say a doctor, then our sentence becomes

What do you believe about the size of the universe? Do you think it is fixed right from the start or expanding and it has been there forever? Does the universe have an edge somewhere or it goes on forever? I'm gonna discuss this topic in light of the discoveries astronomers have in the early nineteenth century and the information the Quran has given us 1400 years ago.

Scientists and astronomers tussled with the question regarding the size of the universe. Before the 19^th century, it was believed that the universe has a fixed size and it has been there forever. With the advancement of science and technology, this concept about the universe suddenly started changing in the early 19^th century. 

In 1912, Vesto Slipher, the American astronomer, made a discovery that would soon change the old misconception about the universe. He noticed the galaxies were moving away from our earth. His findings introduced the concept of universe expansion theory.

Then in 1916, Albert Einstein gave his theory of relativity. In this theory of relativity, Einstein said that the universe must be either expanding or contracting. Again, this theory helped in changing minds about the universe.

And finally, in 1929, Edwin Hubble, a great well known American astronomer, confirmed the expansion of the universe through his giant telescope. (Edwin Hubble is considered as the leading observational cosmologist of the 20^th century because of his exceptional work in astronomy. He was born in 1889 and died in 1953).

With the help of giant telescopes, light coming from distant objects was observed as a function of wavelength. Through various observations, it was noticed that the spectra of light from distant objects was shifting to longer wavelength, called “Redshift”. It meant that the objects under consideration were constantly moving away from us. By observing the “Redshift” Hubble concluded that the galaxies were not fixed in their position but they were moving away from earth.

He realized that further away a galaxy was, the bigger was the “Redshift” of the light. That meant those galaxies were moving away from us at faster and faster speed. It’s not only that galaxies are moving apart, it’s the fact that the entire universe is expanding. Edwin Hubble plot a graph between redshift and relative distance, he found a linear relationship between the two. It also meant that the redshift would increase with increasing distance to the objects. This decrease in the wavelength of light coming from an object was due to the fact that it was getting further away from us and based on this observation, it was concluded that the universe was expanding.

After analyzing the discovery of Science, we’re going to see what the Quran says about it.

Quite surprisingly, 1400 years ago when there was no telescope and the knowledge of science was not in existence, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would recite a verse of the Quran which signed towards the expansion of the universe.

“And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are (its) expander”.
[Quran (51:47)]

Now, I suggest you take your time and think justly: is it possible for a man, who lived 1400 years ago and who happened to be illiterate, to know this fact on his own, which science could do only 100 years ago. Can you accept it? Off course not, unless he had received divine revelation (Quran) from Someone who is all-knowing and the Creator of the universe. It simply proves that the Quran is the book of the GOD.

After, it was understood that the universe was expanding; scientists realized that it would have been smaller in the past. If we go back in the past, then at some point, it would have been a single point. This point is understood as the beginning of the universe, called Big Bang.

The big bang theory states that the universe originated billions of years ago in an explosion from a single point which had nearly infinite energy density. It means all the matter in the universe was concentrated into a single incredibly tiny point which suddenly started expanding and it is still expanding today.

The Quran says:

“Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, then we separated them, and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” 

[Quran (21:30)]

It clearly shows that the heavens and earth were once one, and then God caused them to separate into the seven heavens and earth. Before the 19^th century, the Muslim scholars could only explain the precise meaning of each word in Arabic in the verse, as well as the overall meaning of the verse due to the limitations of science and technology.

Therefore, one can say the Quran cannot be a book of a human if it were so, then it could not have provided such information hundreds of years ago. The only possibility is that it is divine revelation that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received. 

To conclude, our universe is getting bigger and bigger. The expansion of the universe is accelerating, how can that be? Well, astronomers realized there must be some pushing because Newton’s Second Law states that in order to accelerate an object, there must be some force. They do not know what it is but it is there.

The agent, force, which causing this acceleration, they call it “Dark Energy”. They do not know what dark matter is but it is there. They don’t understand the dark energy. What agent actually triggered the process of expansion, even before that what agent caused the matter to get together and even before that, who created the matter, astronomers have no answers to these kinds of questions. The Quran can answer these questions.

The Originator says in the Quran;

“Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it’s so]; and He is the knowing creator.” 

[Quran (36:81)]

Then in the next verse;

“His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, "Be," and it is.”
[Quran (36:82)]

What are prepositions, prepositional phrases and how we can spot them from prepositional phrase sentences, that is what this article is all about.
There are actually five types of phrases altogether. Prepositional phrases, gerund phrases, participle phrases, infinitive phrases, and appositives.

In form prepositional phrase always starts with a preposition and end with a noun or a pronoun which is called the object of the preposition (Preposition + object of the preposition). You can add any number of modifiers between the preposition and its object.
Functions of Prepositional Phrases

They have only two functions to perform. They can do the job of either an ADJECTIVE or an ADVERB. 

Those prepositional phrases acting as adjectives are called ADJECTIVE PHRASES and prepositional phrases acting as adverbs are called ADVERB PHRASES.

Adjective Phrases

Let us look at adjective phrases first.

Remember that the adjectives modify nouns or pronouns and same is true for a prepositional phrase acting as an adjective. Because they do the same job, the adjective questions can be used again to help us prove that they are functioning as adjectives.

ADJECTIVE QUESTIONS: which one, what kind, how many, and how much.

Let us look at an example of prepositional sentence.

The girl from Paniola bought a new suit.

We need to spot the preposition first from the sentence, once we are done then just read to the right. When we encounter a noun or pronoun, we’ve got ourselves a prepositional phrase.

In the above example, “from” is the preposition and it is immediately followed by the proper noun “Paniola” which is the object of the preposition.

Therefore “from Paniola” is our prepositional phrase. Keep in mind that adjectives always appear right next to the word they modify.  Since “from Paniola” is right after the “girl”, chances are that it is modifying the “girl”.

Using the adjective questions, you can ask yourself: which girl?

The answer is “the one from Paniola”. In this way, you’ve proved the prepositional phrase which is modifying the noun “Paniola”.

Here’s another example:

Shaz hides his books under the table.

The prepositional phrase is “under the table”. The word right next to the phrase is “books”, which is a noun, cool?

Now ask yourself:  which books?

The answer is “the one under the table”, isn’t it? Again this is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective, called adjective phrase.

Adverb Phrases

Now let us look at prepositional phrases that function as an adverb, called adverb phrases.

Adverb phrases modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

These phrases can be proven using the ADVERB QUESTIONS: where, when, how, and to what extent or degree.

Unlike adjective phrases, adverb phrases can appear anywhere in a sentence. They can be moved all over the place. Let us look at an example:

After the break, Zara returned to the classroom.

It’s pretty easy to find the phrases once you know the list of prepositions. In the sentence, “after the break”, Preposition + object of the preposition, is a prepositional phrase. This phrase is right in front of the noun “Zara” but it doesn’t answer any adjective questions: which Zara, what kind of Zara, how many Zara, how much Zara, therefore, the prepositional phrase “after the break” doesn’t modify “Zara”. (to the classroom is also a prepositional phrase, try to verify it on your own).

Now we know automatically that it is an adverb phrase. But which word in the sentence this phrase can modify?

Well, the only word, it can modify is the verb “returned”.

Let us check it out by using our adverb questions: returned when?

The answer is “returned after the break”. I hope you got it.

Remember as I said adverb phrases could move around in a sentence. Look at these sentences.

Zara returned to the classroom after the break.

Zara, after the break, returned to the classroom.

No matter where you place it, the prepositional phrase still acts as an adverb modifying the verb of the sentences.

Here’s another example of a prepositional sentence,

Inside the classroom, Aleena shouted for hours.

Hopefully, you’ve spotted the prepositional phrases: “Inside the classroom” and “for hours”.

Both of them seem to modify the verb “shouted”.

But let’s put them to the test anyway: Shouted where?

The answer is “Shouted inside the classroom”.

Shouted to what extent?

The answer is “Shouted for hours”.

In this way, we've verified the adverb phrase.

Now let’s look at a complicated example.

By ten O’clock on the opening day of the sports week, the ground was jam-packed with fans.

There are four prepositional phrases.

You may use a bunch of questions to figure this one out.

 Let’s start with adverb questions.

Packed is our verb here so our first question: “was packed when?”

The answer is “by 11 O’clock” and “on opening day”.

And packed by whom: “with fans”.  So 1, 2 and 4 are acting as adverb phrases as we’ve just proved them.

Now let’s try adjective questions to figure the third prepositional phrase out.

Which day of the sports week? :  “opening day of the football season”. As the phrase “of the sports week” modifies the noun “opening day” right behind it, it acts as an adjective phrase.

Conclusion

Prepositional phrases act either adjectives or adverbs. ADJECTIVE PHRASES modify nouns or pronouns and can be found right next to the word they modify. ADVERB PHRASES modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs and can appear anywhere in a sentence.

Finally, prepositional phrases can sometimes be removed from a sentence without destroying a sentence. For example:

After the break, Zara returned to the classroom.

If we remove the prepositional phrases, we are left with

Zara returned.

It is still a correct sentence but the one with phrases provides more information.

What is an infinitive, infinitive phrase and how to spot an infinitive and infinitive phrase in a sentence, this is what I'm gonna discuss in the post today. 

An infinitive is a verb in its base form, “to _____ “ , it is usually preceded by the word “to”. For example, to run, to eat, to sleep, to move etc.

Infinitives can be used as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.

How can we recognize them?

Simply figure out how an infinitive functions in a sentence. Let’s look at some examples.

Ali loves to sing.

Can you spot the infinitive? “to sing” is the infinitive and as it acts as a direct object here, then we know it is used as a “Noun”.

Let us look at another example of the infinitive,

To play, Afridi puts on his helmet.

“To play” is our infinitive but how it is functioning in the sentence?

It functions as an "adverb" which modifies the word “put”. If it does not makes sense to you, just think it over, "put" under what condition?

 Puts to play!

Ex: Einstein was a person to admire.

“To admire” is our infinitive and it functions as an adjective modifying the noun “person”.

Infinitive Phrases

Now let us look at infinitive phrases.

An infinitive phrase is the combination of the infinitive and its object or any modifier. For example:

To see the football world cup, he leaves for Russia.

“To see” is off course our infinitive. What is the object of the infinitive?

To see what?

The football World Cup! That’s our object!

 Therefore, “to see the football world cup” is our whole infinitive phrase. This one functioning as an "adverb" modifying the verb “leaves”.

Ex: Our school is a place to teach the students.

“To teach” is our infinitive. Now teach to whom?

Teach to the students!

Therefore, “teach to the students” is the infinitive phrase. And infinitive phrase functioning as an adjective as it is modifying the word “place”.

(Which place? The place to teach the students! Phrase qualifies the noun, isn’t it?)

A gerund is a form of a verb that functions as a noun. It looks like a verb but acts like a noun.

Like a participle, a gerund always ends in – ING. But the difference between a gerund and a participle is based on their functions: a participle functions exactly like an adjective whereas a gerund functions exactly like a noun. 

Anything a noun can do, a gerund can do.

Thus a gerund can function in all of these ways.

Playing allows my brother to relax.

The first thing we’ve got to do is to look at “ING” word, now ask yourself what the sentence is about – clearly playing. 

Playing is functioning as the subject of the sentence.

Tip to recognize a gerund

When you find an “ING” word in a sentence, substitute another word which is clearly a noun, if the sentence makes sense, then you've got a gerund. 

Let’s try it for the above example. I’m gonna substitute the word vacation in place of playing. Here we go:

Vacation allows my brother to relax.

It is clearly seen that the sentence still makes sense, isn’t it? It means playing is our gerund.

Now let us look at the other examples.

I always enjoy teaching.

You can see through the sentence for “ING” word, here watching is the only “ING” word and it functions as a direct object. 

Is it a gerund? 

You can check it out by replacing the word with any other noun as mentioned above.

Ex: My favorite hobby is blogging.

Here the word blogging functions as a compliment.

Gerund Phrase

A gerund phrase is a gerund and all the words that modify or compliment it.

The words that seem to belong to gerund to help complete its meaning make up a gerund phrase and this whole phrase will function exactly like a noun’s function. 

You can use your substitution principle here as well. For example:

Playing sports keeps us physically fit.

Look for the “ING” word, playing.

Now playing what? Playing sports!

Sport is a modifier which modifies the word playing. Therefore, “Playing sports” is our gerund phrase. The whole phrase functions as a subject. We can substitute a simple noun such as “Cricket”, to see if the sentence yet makes sense. Off course, it does! Thus we’ve proved that it is a gerund phrase.

Ex: I thoroughly enjoyed Peterson’s magnificent batting.

Our gerund is obviously “batting”, but is it a part of the gerund phrase?

We know that gerunds are always nouns; we can see “magnificent” modifies our noun “batting”.

What kind of batting?

Magnificent batting!

And Peterson’s is a possessive adjective also modifies batting – noun. Thus our whole gerund phrase is “Peterson’s magnificent batting”. 

This whole phrase functions as “Direct Object” of the sentence.

As a final check, let us substitute another word such as “golf”, I thoroughly enjoyed golf. Again we’ve proven that this is a gerund phrase.