Grammar

Reduced Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can often be shortened by dropping the relative pronoun and the verb 'be'. An active clause reduces to a present participle and a passive clause to a past participle.

Post

Level C1 Clauses

Summary

Relative clauses can often be shortened by dropping the relative pronoun and the verb 'be'. An active clause reduces to a present participle and a passive clause to a past participle.

Structure

noun + present/past participle phrase (no relative pronoun)

Examples

The woman talking to the manager is my aunt. (= who is talking)
The documents signed yesterday are ready. (= which were signed)
Anyone wanting a refund should email us.
The car parked outside is mine.

Common mistakes

• Reducing when the subject differs: only the relative-pronoun subject can be dropped this way.
• Choosing the wrong participle: active meaning needs -ing, passive needs the past participle.

Related

Defining vs Non-defining Relative Clauses Participle Clauses

More clauses

Relative Clauses (Defining) B1

Use defining relative clauses to give essential information that identifies which person or thing you mean. Use who for people, which for things, and that for both. No commas are used.

Reported Speech B2

Use reported speech to tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. Tenses usually shift back, and pronouns and time expressions often change.

Reported Statements B1

Reported statements relay what someone said without quoting them directly. Tenses usually shift back one step, and pronouns and time expressions change to fit the new viewpoint.

Reported Questions B2

Reported questions turn a direct question into a statement-order clause. Yes/no questions use 'if' or 'whether', and there is no inversion or question mark in the reported form.

Reported Commands and Requests B2

Commands and requests are reported with a verb plus an object and a to-infinitive. Negative commands use 'not to' before the verb.

Reporting Verbs and Patterns C1

Beyond 'say' and 'tell', many reporting verbs summarise the function of what was said. Each follows its own grammatical pattern, such as verb + gerund, verb + object + infinitive, or verb + that-clause.

External links

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