Noun Clauses as Subjects and Objects

• At the C2 level, managing complex statements often requires noun clauses acting as subjects or objects. Using structures with 'the fact that', 'whether', 'what', and 'how' helps articulate strategic IT trade-offs concisely and with professional nuance.
• Clause Type
• Conjunction / Pronoun
• Example Sentence
• Subject Clause
• What
• What worries me is whether we should build in-house.
• Object Clause
• The fact that
• Arthur acknowledged the fact that switching costs are high.
• Subject Clause
• Whether
• Whether we insource the transaction engine remains debated.
• Remember
• Use 'what' clauses to highlight a specific core problem or missing piece of information.
• Use 'whether' to present binary alternatives or unresolved strategic dilemmas.
• Use 'the fact that' to introduce an unquestionable reality or constraint into the discussion.
• Ensure subject clauses take a singular verb agreement (e.g., 'What matters is...').
• Examples
• What troubled the CFO in Chicago was how high the integration tax would climb.
• We must consider whether an off-the-shelf platform fits our current architecture.
• The board focused on the fact that proprietary software requires ongoing maintenance.
• Common mistakes
• What we need is build a bespoke system.
• What we need is to build a bespoke system.
• The problem is that whether we can afford it.
• The problem is whether we can afford it.

Complete the sentences

• ___ remains unclear is how fast the vendor can deliver. (What) ____
• The board debated ___ we should insource or buy off-the-shelf. (whether) ____
• ___ worries the VP of Engineering is the massive switching cost. (What) ____
• She ignored ___ fact that our legacy systems are extremely fragile. (the) ____
• ___ interests the CTO is how the integration tax affects our budget. (What) ____
• They focused on ___ or not the joint venture would succeed. (whether) ____

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