2. in which sentence does the (underlined) noun clause function as a direct object?

a) the critics watch (whichever movies are opening that week.)

b) (whoever loves movies and can succinctly talk about them) can become a movie critic.

c) movie critics offer their recommendations to (whoever wants to go to the movies.)

d) we read movie critics’ articles in (whichever newspapers carry them.)

I believe the answer is B

Explanation:

Most people are comfortable with the idea of a noun, but they may not feel so confident when it comes to the noun clause. A noun clause is a group of words acting together as a noun. These clauses are always dependent clauses. That is, they do not form a complete sentence.

The best way to familiarize yourself with these types of clauses is to take a look at some sample sentences containing noun clauses at work.

Purpose of a Noun Clause

Noun clauses are used to name something when a single word isn't enough. Again, they're always going to be dependent clauses and these clauses can't stand alone. If a dependent clause stands alone, it forms a sentence fragment, not a full sentence. While an independent clause can act as a sentence by itself, a dependent clause cannot.

How to Spot a Noun Clause

One of the easiest ways to spot a noun clause is to look for these words:

How

That

What

Whatever

When

Where

Whether

Which

Whichever

Who

Whoever

Whom

Whomever

Why

Types of Noun Clauses

Beyond these keywords, you can also spot a noun clause based on its function within the sentence. Let's take a look at some of the most prominent roles of noun clauses.

Subject of a Verb

A noun clause can act as the subject of a verb. For example:  

What Alicia said made her friends cry.

What Megan wrote surprised her family.

How the boy behaved was not very polite.

the puthmans reverned parris danford and harthone