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.

in the quotation from passage, connie willis states that literature is a way for authors from the past to communicate with readers of today. we can read their stories, books, and other texts to learn lessons about life. willis refers to these lessons as messages “from beyond the grave.” willis has a favorable viewpoint about the timelessness of literature.