I have trying to figure out what the following means and I still can't get my head around it. They talk about "bound" independent clause but my mind keeps saying: "you mean dependent clause"
Can someone explain to me the concept they are trying to teach?
- Bold is the flag word
- Italic is the whole noun clause (including the bold part)
(That) type noun clauses are built like adverb clauses in that the flag word is put in front of a “bound” independent clause, and the flag word plays no grammatical role inside the “bound” independent clause:
that type noun clause = that type flag word + “bound” independent clause
Example: Whether or not it rains will determine our destination
(Wh-) type noun clauses are built like adjective clauses in that wh- words (like relative pronouns in adjective clauses) are inside the “bound” independent clause. Thus, the wh- word must play some grammatical role within the “bound” independent clause. Let us look again at the four example sentences, this time focusing on the grammatical role of the flag word:
Example: Whatever you decide is fine with us.
Source: English grammar and usage (Lester & Beason) p56,57,63. Link.