Grammatical pattern: VERB + WH-word/whether/if + CLAUSE

Certain verbs are often followed in a sentence by what are called “noun clauses.”  The clause itself and the word that introduces it (“why she left,” for example) function together as a noun and play the role of the direct object in such sentences. Noun clauses can also take on any of the other roles that a noun can play in a sentence.  Many noun clauses are introduced by the conjunction “that,” but some are introduced by question words such as “where,” “what,” “how,” and “when,” as well as the conjunctions “whether” and “if.”  An important set of verbs function in this latter manner; that is, in the pattern [VERB + WH-word/whether/if + CLAUSE].

Verbs that follow the pattern [VERB  +  WH-word/whether/if  +  CLAUSE]

announce, ascertain, ask, consider, decide, demonstrate, figure out, find out, foresee, forget, hate, imagine, know, learn, like, matter, pay, predict, recall, remember, say, specify, speculate, stipulate, suggest, think, wonder

Additional examples of the pattern [VERB  +  WH-word/ whether/if  +  CLAUSE]

Did they say how they were going to do it?

Have they announced where the event will take place?

I can’t think why they asked me to do this and not you.

Does it matter whether I go with you or not?

We had not foreseen what would happen.

I wonder if you could help me with this.

She hates when she forgets to set her alarm clock.