This is a very common point of confusion because the word order feels unnatural to many learners, especially when the verb be ends up at the very end of the clause.
The Main Rule Revisited: Subject + Verb be
As we established, a noun clause always uses statement word order, not question word order. This means the subject of the clause must come before the be verb.
Let's look at each word.
Noun Clauses with What + be
In a direct question, the be verb comes before the subject. In a noun clause, it comes after.
| Direct Question | Noun Clause |
| What is the time? | I don't know what the time is. |
| What was the problem? | He explained what the problem was. |
| What are your reasons? | Tell me what your reasons are. |
In a Sentence:
* As a Direct Object: Please tell me what the password is.
* (Incorrect: Please tell me what is the password.)
* As a Subject: What the real issue is has not been determined.
* (Incorrect: What is the real issue has not been determined.)
* As an Object of a Preposition: We need to have a discussion about what the next step is.
* (Incorrect: ...a discussion about what is the next step.)
Noun Clauses with Who + be
The same principle applies. The subject of the clause comes before the be verb.
| Direct Question | Noun Clause |
| Who is that woman? | I wonder who that woman is. |
| Who was the best player? | They couldn't decide who the best player was. |
In a Sentence:
* As a Direct Object: The police want to know who the main suspect is.
* (Incorrect: The police want to know who is the main suspect.)
* As a Subject: Who the new CEO will be is a topic of great speculation.
* (Incorrect: Who will be the new CEO is a topic of great speculation.)
* As a Subject Complement: The question on everyone's mind is who the winner is.
* (Incorrect: ...is who is the winner.)
Noun Clauses with Whose + Noun + be
Whose is a possessive word, so it must be followed by a noun (e.g., whose car, whose idea). This whose + noun pair then functions within the clause.
| Direct Question | Noun Clause |
| Whose car is this? | I don't know whose car this is. |
| Whose idea was it? | Can you tell me whose idea it was? |
In a Sentence:
* As a Direct Object: She asked whose bag this was.
* (Incorrect: She asked whose bag was this.)
* As an Object of a Preposition: We were arguing about whose turn it was.
* (Incorrect: ...about whose turn was it.)
A Crucial Exception: When Who, What, or Whose + Noun IS the Subject
Sometimes, the question word itself (or the whose + noun phrase) is the subject of the noun clause. In this situation, the be verb comes directly after it, because that is the natural statement word order (Subject + Verb).
Notice the difference:
Case 1: Who/What is the OBJECT of the clause
There is a separate subject in the clause.
* I know who that man is.
* (Clause Subject = that man, Clause Verb = is)
* I know what his plan is.
* (Clause Subject = his plan, Clause Verb = is)
Case 2: Who/What IS the SUBJECT of the clause
The question word is the subject.
* I know who is in charge.
* (Clause Subject = who, Clause Verb = is)
* I know what is in the box.
* (Clause Subject = what, Clause Verb = is)
* Let's find out whose car is blocking the exit.
* (Clause Subject = whose car, Clause Verb = is)
How to tell the difference?
Ask yourself: In the original question, what is the subject?
* "Who is that man?" -> Subject is that man. So, in the noun clause, that man comes before is.
* "Who is in charge?" -> Who is the subject. It's asking for the identity of the person doing the action. So, in the noun clause, the verb is comes right after who.
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