In the sentence 'I know WHAT HE WAS DOING THERE', what type of clause is 'WHAT HE WAS DOING THERE'?

• A. Noun clause
• B. Relative clause
• C. Adverbial clause
• D. Independent clause

Answer: (A)

A noun clause is being tested here. In the sentence, what he was doing there functions as the content of knowledge—the thing that is known. The clause begins with what, which introduces a declarative content clause that acts as the direct object of the verb know. Inside the clause you have a subject (he) and a verb (was doing) with there as a place adverb, but that whole clause is not modifying a noun or standing alone; it’s the thing being known.

It’s not a relative clause because there’s no noun for it to modify (and it doesn’t describe a noun like “the thing that…” would). It’s not an adverbial clause because it doesn’t modify the verb, an adjective, or the whole sentence. And it isn’t an independent clause because it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.