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A typical most recurrent type of object clauses is indirect speech following verbs of saying.
He said he had never heard of it.
He asked me if I wanted to stay.
Object clauses of this subtype are more informative than their main clauses, the role of the latter being
relegated to that of introducing the source of information.
Like subject clauses, object clauses may be preceded by the formal
it, usually after the verbs to feel, to
believe, to consider, to find, to take, to like, to insist on, etc.
You may take it that it is a genuine check.
I like it when people are nice to me.
I insist upon it that you tell me all the details.
You are to see to it that there should be no quarrel.
An object clause may refer to formal it followed by the objective predicative after the verbs to think, to find,
to make, to consider, etc.
I found it strange that she could speak so calmly.
I think it necessary that you should go there at once.
He made it clear that his intentions were honest.
2. Object clauses parallel in function to indirect objects are very rare. However,
they are possible, the necessary condition for it being that the object clause should be followed by a direct
object.
You may give whoever you like any presents.
3. There are also cases when an object clause functions like a cognate object to a verb.
He and his mamma knew very few people and lived what might have been thought very lonely lives.
4. An object clause may be joined to the main clause by the prepositions after, about, before, beyond, for,
near, of, as to, except, etc. (a prepositional object clause). In this case it is parallel in function to a prepositional
non-recipient object. If a preposition is very closely attached to the preceding verb or adjective (to agree upon,
to call for, to comment upon, to depend on, to hear of, to insist on, to be certain of, to be sorry for, etc.) it
generally precedes the object clause.
I am not certain of what he did.
I want to be paid for what I do.
Some prepositions which would be indispensable before nouns
or gerunds used as objects are not always
necessary before object clauses.
We insisted that he should stay with us.
(We insisted on his staying with us.)
We agreed that the experiment should be stopped.
(We agreed upon stopping the experiment.)
The preposition is retained when there is a formal object it foilowed by an object clause.
We insisted on it that he should stay with us.
We agreed upon it that the experiment should be stopped.