Ichabod doubts that the story is true.
independent clause
adverbial clause
adjectival clause
noun clause
Noun clause:
that the story is true
In the given sentence, "Ichabod doubts that the story is true," the clause "that the story is true" is a noun clause.
A noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence, usually acting as the subject, object, or complement. It can be identified by its role in the sentence and the type of words it contains.
In this case, "that the story is true" acts as the direct object of the verb "doubts." It answers the question "what does Ichabod doubt?" The entire clause functions as a single unit and represents the idea or concept that Ichabod doubts.
To identify noun clauses, look for subordinating conjunctions like "that," "whether," "if," or "wh-" words (e.g., "what," "where," "how," etc.) introducing the clause. These words usually indicate that a subordinate noun clause is present in the sentence.