NOUN CLAUSE help needed!!!!

[hazeleyedgirl]

Hi there I have a question on my exam that looks like that:
"Compare the sentences below . Provide the underlying deep structure of a) describe the transformation and provide the motivation for it. Why is b) ungrammatical?
a) It is clear that John didin't see the play.
b)* It is clear the news.
Ok, if it comes to the sentence a) It is clear [that John didn't see the play] part in bracket is a noun clause (object noun clause), the noun clause as the name itself says it must have a subject (John), finite verb (didn't) and object (the play); it is the result of extraposition??? [that John didn't see the play] is clear.
Why the second is ungrammatical??? it is clear [the news] in bracket NP

There's sth in my book said that Noun clauses fills the position of a noun phrase in the matrix clause and then there are examples that in sentences beginning with 'it' are also noun clauses and that there are no corresponding sentences with the noun phrases. But why????? Please help me! Is anything what I wrote correct???

[2006]

Hi there I have a question on my exam that looks like that:
"Compare the sentences below . Provide the underlying deep structure of a) describe the transformation and provide the motivation for it. Why is b) ungrammatical?
a) It is clear that John didin't see the play.
b)* It is clear the news. This sentence has no meaning; in fact it's not a complete sentence. Correct sentences would be:
1...It's clear (that) the news is bad.
2...It's clear (that) the news surprised him.
3...The news is clear.

Ok, if it comes to the sentence a) It is clear [that John didn't see the play] part in bracket is a noun clause (object noun clause), the noun clause as the name itself says it must have a subject (John), finite verb (didn't) and object (the play); it is the result of extraposition??? 'That John didn't see the play is clear.' is also correct, and the two sentences are an example of extraposition.
Why the second is ungrammatical??? it is clear [the news] see above in bracket NP

There's sth in my book said that Noun clauses fills the position of a noun phrase in the matrix clause and then there are examples that in sentences beginning with 'it' are also noun clauses and that there are no corresponding sentences with the noun phrases. But why????? Generally, a noun phrase starting with "It", that is "It" without a predicate, would just be a pronoun (phrase).

But I can think of one kind of example that I would call a noun phrase.
'It and the cubs disappeared into the forrest.' (It = the mother bear)
However, the above "It" is not the same impersonal "It" of your sentences.

Please help me! Is anything what I wrote correct???
It happening so soon surprised us.

2006