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question word-order (i.e., by putting the verb, or the helping verb, before the subject) in some sentences (nos.
4, and 6).
(1) (but) A beekeeper brought twenty ferocious African queen bees to South America. He made a terrible
mistake.
(2) (and) He thought they would mix with his tame bees. A better breed would be produced.
(3) (either ... or) They killed the tame bees. The result of their interbreeding produced killer bees.
(4) (neither ... nor) The bees could (not) be handled safely. Their honey could (not) be harvested.
(5) (for) They ran wild and increased in number. They were dangerous to control.
(6) (not only ... but also) These bees invaded the cities. They stung anything they could find when attempts
were made to kill them.
(7) (both... and, so, or) Animals were killed by them. People were killed by them. They all had to be
destroyed somehow. The cities would not safe.
(8) (for, and, but) The price of honey rose 400%. It was difficult to extract. Entomologists were faced with a
serious problem. They eventually found means of solving it.
IV. COMPLEX SENTENCES*
* See Unit 2 of Appendix [Section V of Part II] for a full presentation of complex sentences.
Exercises:
1. Do the following exercises for practice in identifying noun clauses.
A.Underline the noun clauses in the following sentences.
Tell the function of each noun clause, whether it is used as subject, direct object, indirect object, object
of preposition, appositive, or subject complement.
Examples:
Why a good vocabulary is important is obvious. (Subject) The reason is that words carry thought.
(Subject complement.)
One should learn how words are built. (Direct Object)
Skills give whoever masters them help. (Indirect Object)
A search for whatever clues are given may unlock a definition. (Object of a preposition)
The fact that strange words slow our reading is evident. (Appositive)
(1) Books have been written about how one can become a better reader.
(2) Those businessmen are interested in facts.
(3) Companies are requiring that their chief officers take special courses.
(4) They give whoever needs help free courses.
(5) The reason is that good readers help a company.
(6) The fact that skills can be learned rapidly encourages us.
B. Combine the sentences in each group below to form one sentence containing a noun clause. Write the
resulting ten sentences as a paragraph.
(1) Poetry is difficult for some readers. It is a fact.
(2) They forget this. Poetry is natural for children.
(3) Most poetry must be read slowly. This is true.
(4) One reason is this. A few words suggest big ideas.
(5) Words are placed in unusual order. That is another reason.