Learn how to use noun clauses
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Jonathan: Hello everyone! This is Jonathan. |
| Dede: And I’m Dede! Happy Hours for Happy Days in the US. |
| Jonathan: In this lesson, we’ll listen to a conversation at a bar in Washington, D.C. and learn about using noun phrases in sentences, and how to gossip about politics. |
| Dede: This conversation takes place between Sheila and Dave. |
| Jonathan: They’re good friends and relaxing at a bar, so it’s going to be the most informal conversation we’ve had yet. |
| Dede: Alright, let’s listen to the conversation! |
| DIALOGUE |
| SHEILA: I'm glad we could meet up for Happy Hour today, I almost couldn't get off work in time. |
| DAVE: Me too. I love drinks that cost less than three dollars. |
| SHEILA: Haha... Oh Dave... I forget that you were a frat-boy. |
| DAVE: Sure was! Delta Tau Chi all the way! So did you see the State of the Union? |
| SHEILA: Oh my goodness, yeah. He will say anything to be re-elected won't he? |
| DAVE: He's a total flip-flopper. He said that he was pro-choice. Then he passed a law restricting abortions! |
| SHEILA: Ugh, utterly spineless. It's like his opinion comes straight from the polls. |
| DAVE: Isn't democracy amazing? |
| SHEILA: Sure is! Let's drink to that. |
| DAVE: Cheers to democracy! |
| SHEILA: Long live the Republic! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Dede: Okay, so in this dialogue, we have a lot of cultural concepts that might not be familiar to our listeners. First, what’s a happy hour, and what’s a flip-flopper? Also… what is Delta Tau Chi? |
| Jonathan: Very good questions, there is a lot of culture in this dialogue, isn’t there? Happy hours are special times at bars that usually have cheap drinks and are crowded; a lot of flirting and gossiping is fueled by the alcohol and there is a whole D.C. culture that surrounds them. |
| Dede: OK… But what about a flip-flopper? |
| Jonathan: We’ll we will get to that more in the vocab, but in short, it is a favorite criticism for political people to call someone a “flip-flopper”. It means that they change their views and do not have a firm moral center. This is seen by a lot of people as even more negative than someone holding a view opposite to theirs. People feel that flip-floppers lack principles and dignity. |
| Dede: Got it, so their views are always changing. |
| Jonathan: Right. As for Delta Tau Chi, it is the name of a fraternity. Fraternities are social organizations that exist at universities. |
| Dede: I see… and they like cheap beer? |
| Jonathan: Well, who doesn’t? But yes, they are known for that. Alright, are you ready for vocab? |
| Dede: Let’s go! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Jonathan: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| Dede: The first word we shall see is: |
| Jonathan: happy hour [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a time period at a bar (usually 1-2 hours in the early evening) when drinks are at a lower price |
| Jonathan: happy hour [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: happy hour [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: frat-boy [natural native speed] |
| Dede: A male who is/was a member of a fraternity, an all-male social organization at universities known for partying. The female equivalent is a sorority. |
| Jonathan: frat-boy [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: frat-boy [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: the State of the Union [natural native speed] |
| Dede: A speech the President of the United States makes every year to talk about his accomplishme nts and plans |
| Jonathan: the State of the Union [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: the State of the Union [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: to be re-elected [natural native speed] |
| Dede: to be elected again |
| Jonathan: be re-elected [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: be re-elected [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: flip-flopper [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a politician that changes his or her views on issues |
| Jonathan: flip-flopper [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: flip-flopper [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: pro-choice [natural native speed] |
| Dede: supportive of abortion rights for women |
| Jonathan: pro-choice [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: pro-choice [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: spineless [natural native speed] |
| Dede: without firm ideals or morals |
| Jonathan: spineless [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: spineless [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: poll [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a survey conducted to measure public opinion |
| Jonathan: poll [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: poll [natural native speed] |
| Next we have: |
| Jonathan: cheers [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a common toast |
| Jonathan: cheers [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: cheers [natural native speed] |
| Next is: |
| Jonathan: Republic [natural native speed] |
| Dede: a system of government which elects people that then make laws |
| Jonathan: Republic [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jonathan: Republic [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Jonathan: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Dede: The first word/phrase we’ll look at is.... |
| Jonathan: Cheers! |
| Dede: This is a common toast made when drinking. But in the dialogue, Dave doesn’t just say Cheers, he says “Cheers to democracy” |
| Jonathan: Right - Here Dave is somewhat sarcastically toasting the system of government of the United States. As we just learned, “Cheers” is a common toast in the United States when we are drinking. We can also say “Long live” something that we like and personally want to last a long time. What do you like Dede? |
| Dede: Uhmm… kittens! |
| Jonathan: Okay then - Cheers to kittens! |
| Dede: Haha, and Long live cats! |
| Jonathan: Haha, let’s move onto the next phrase then. |
| Dede: State of the Union |
| Jonathan: How was it used in the dialogue? |
| Dede: Dave asks Sheila: “Did you see the State of the Union?” |
| Jonathan: As we mentioned in the vocab section, the State of the Union is an annual address that the president gives to the nation. It used to be written most of the time but in the 20th century most presidents have delivered it orally and it draws tens of millions of viewers every year. Presidents outline their plans for the next year and review their successes and challenges. |
| Dede: So if you were president, what you would talk about during your State of the Union? |
| Jonathan: Mostly about how the world needs to learn English… |
| Dede: With EnglishClass101.com? |
| Jonathan: Of course!! |
| Dede: Cheers to EnglishClass101.com! |
| Jonathan: And with that, let’s move onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Dede: The focus of this lesson is using noun phrases in sentences. |
| Jonathan: Dave says “I love drinks that cost less than three dollars.” |
| Dede: In this sentence, we hear a noun phrase used as a direct object. |
| Jonathan: But we’ll start by discussing their use as the subject of a sentence. |
| Dede: A noun clause is a phrase that functions as a noun in a sentence. When we say… |
| Jonathan: “People who are tall often play basketball” |
| Dede: We are using the noun clause… |
| Jonathan: “People who are tall” |
| Dede: By itself, this phrase is not a sentence, but we use the entire phrase as the subject of the sentence. Let’s look at some examples of noun clauses as the subjects of sentences |
| Jonathan: Animals that live in people’s homes must be well-trained. |
| Dede: The noun clause here is… |
| Jonathan: “Animals that live in people’s homes” |
| Dede: The next example is… |
| Jonathan: "Bags made in Italy are very expensive." |
| Dede: The noun clause there is… |
| Jonathan: “Bags made in Italy” |
| Dede: Noun clauses can also be used at the end of a sentence as a direct object. In the example from the dialogue, Dave says that he likes “drinks that cost less than three dollars.” “drinks that cost less than three dollars” is a noun clause functioning as an object for the sentence. |
| Jonathan: Exactly. Noun clauses, either as objects or subjects, they are a great way to spice up your speaking and writing. Use them to conserve words and to make your communication more effective and targeted. |
| Dede: Right. Instead of these two sentences. |
| Jonathan: He bought a car. It was made in Japan. |
| Dede: We can say… |
| Jonathan: He bought a car made in Japan. |
| Dede: See how it can make our writing and speaking more economical? |
| Jonathan: Yeah, it’s a great way to sound more natural and use more complicated sentences, especially when writing. |
| Dede: Try some out today! |
Outro |
| Jonathan: Well, that just about wraps it up! |
| Dede: That’s right. |
| Jonathan: We’ll be back next lesson for more English learning fun! |
| Dede: See you soon! |
Comments
HideHello Listeners! What is your favorite activities after work or class?
Hello Nelia,
Thank you for sharing a slice of your life with us! Your dedication to your profession and your family is truly admirable.😄
Now, let's move on to some corrections to help improve your English:
1. "Thank you for such informative lesson!" should be "Thank you for such an informative lesson!" We use 'an' before words that begin with a vowel sound.
2. "I don’t have a normative day." could be "I don’t have a typical day." The word 'typical' is more commonly used to describe a regular or usual day.
3. "I work at school and despite of my lessons are over at about 3 p.m., I don’t go home at once." should be "I work at a school and despite my lessons being over at about 3 p.m., I don’t go home right away." We don't need 'of' after 'despite', and 'right away' is a more common phrase than 'at once'.
4. "I stay there untill I do all preparations for the next day." should be "I stay there until I finish all preparations for the next day." We use 'until' for time and 'finish' to indicate the completion of a task.
5. "On Friday evening my family and I go the restaurant to have dinner." should be "On Friday evening, my family and I go to a restaurant to have dinner." We need 'a' before 'restaurant' because we're talking about a specific supermarket.
7. "And my husband who isn’t exhausted after work cook in the evening." should be "And my husband, who isn’t exhausted after work, cooks in the evening."
I hope you find these corrections helpful. Keep practicing and don't hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.
Thank you!
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hello!
Thank you for such informative lesson! I always discover something interesting for myself.😄
In terms of my profession, I don't have a normative day.😒 I work at school and despite of my lessons are over at about 3 p.m., I don't go home at once. I stay there untill I do all preparations for the next day.
On Friday evening my family and I go the restaurant to have dinner. Sometimes my husband and I go to the bar to drink some beer😁. If we don't go somewhere, I mean restaurant, my son and I go the supermarket to buy something for our dinner at home. And my husband who isn't exhausted after work cook in the evening. Then we watch some interesting movie that my husband has found beforehand.
Hello Natalya,
I'm thrilled to hear that you're finding our lessons enjoyable! 👍❤️
As for your question, yes, we do have lessons and resources related to financial topics, including taxes. You can find them in our "Business English" section.
If you need further assistance finding these resources, please don't hesitate to ask.
Thank you!
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hi there!
all lessons are cool here!
Now it's time of filing taxes in the US. Do you have any related topics here?
Hello John,
I'm really sorry to hear that you found the lesson boring. We strive to make our lessons engaging and interesting for all our students. Could you please tell me what specifically you found uninteresting? This will help us improve our future lessons. 😄
Regarding your message, here are a few suggestions:
1. "Hello Teacher, this lesson is kinda boring asf" - While I understand your sentiment, it would be more polite and formal to say, "Hello Teacher, I found this lesson a bit uninteresting."
The term "asf" is often used in informal conversations, but it's not generally used in formal or academic settings. It's always good to keep your language polite and respectful, especially when providing feedback or expressing dissatisfaction.
Thank you for your feedback and I look forward to making our lessons more enjoyable for you! 👍
Thank you!
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hello Teacher, this lesson is kinda boring asf
Hello Abdoulaye,
It's great to hear from you and I'm glad you're enjoying your studies with EnglishClass101.com! 👍👍👍
Your enthusiasm for learning is truly inspiring. Your understanding of "metonyms" is excellent, and yes, "The crown" is indeed used as a metonym for the British monarchy.
Now, to answer your question about "noun phrases", yes, your sentence, "People who cheat are not real winners" is correct! "People who cheat" and "real winners" are both examples of noun phrases.
Just one small correction in your message:
- Instead of saying "Recently my favorite activities after work is relaxing at home and studying with obviously 101.com.", it would be more grammatically correct to say, "Recently, my favorite activities after work are relaxing at home and studying with EnglishClass101.com, of course."
In English, when you are talking about more than one activity (or thing), we use "are" instead of "is". And "of course" would be a more appropriate phrase to use instead of "obviously" in this context.
Keep up the good work. I'm here to help if you have any more questions.
Thank you!
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Recently my favorite activities after work is relaxing at home and studying with obviously 101.com.
I learned more about "metonyms" today.
"The crown" is use as a metonym for the British monarchy.👍
How about "noun phrases" is this sentence correct?
"People who cheat are not real winners"?
Thanks. Bye for now.
Hello Claudio,
Thanks for taking the time to post and share. 👍
Please feel free to ask us any questions you have throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
There is a difference between pro-choice, and pro-life. The dialogue, shows the opinion of the politician, and the citizens, and what was approved in the capitol.
A little confused.
My consideration: I agree with the decision of the politician. I think no one doesn’t have the right to kill innocent life.
Hello So,
Thanks for your comment!
We wish you the best throughout your studies.
Please feel free to ask us any questions you have here or direct to your teacher in the ‘MyTeacher’ feature.
Kindly,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
I like to eat after work
Hello Saania,
Thanks for taking the time to post and share. 👍
Please feel free to ask us any questions you have throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
hi everyone this is sania
Hello Jaew,
Thank you for joining us! 😄
We have a great team of teachers here at EnglishClass101.com and we are happy to help you with your learning needs.
If you would like further assistance or if you're still having problems understanding this lesson I suggest contacting your teacher through the 'MyTeacher' feature on our site. Your personal teacher will be more than happy to assist you!👍
Most kindly,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hello teachers,
I have learned the grammar points from this lesson that is helpful a lot for me. However I still confuse about noun clauses and adjective clauses, could you please explain them in more detail?
Thank you so much
Jaew
Hello Gary,
Thanks for taking the time to post and share. 👍
Please feel free to ask us any questions you have throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
After work or class, my favourite activity is relaxation at my home.
Hello Az Ho,
Thank you so much for your heart! ❤️️❤️️
We are very happy that you like to study with us.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team EnglishClass101.com