Types of Reduced Relative Clauses

Reduced Relative Clauses
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Reduced relative clauses refer to the shortening of a relative clause

which modifies the subject of a sentence. Reduced relative
clauses modify the subject and not the object of a sentence.
Much like adjectives, relative clauses, also known as adjective clauses,

modify nouns.
The man who works at Costco lives in Seattle.

I gave a book, which was written by Hemingway, to Mary last week.
In above examples, "who works at Costco" modifies—or provides

information about—the "man" who is the subject of the sentence. In the
:
second sentence, "which was written by Hemingway" modifies the
object "book." Using a reduced relative clause we can reduce the first
sentence to:
The man working at Costco lives in Seattle.
The second example sentence cannot be reduced because the relative

clause "which was written by Hemingway" modifies an object of the
verb "give."
Types of Reduced Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can also be reduced to shorter forms if the relative
clause modifies the subject of a sentence. Relative clause reduction
refers to removing a relative pronoun to reduce:
An adjective/person who was happy: happy person

An adjective phrase/man who was responsible for: man responsible for
A prepositional phrase/boxes that are under the counter: boxes under
the counter
A past participle/student that was elected president: student elected
president
A present participle/people who are working on the report: people
working on the report
Reduce to an Adjective
1. Remove the relative pronoun.
2. Remove the verb (usually "be," but also "seem," "appear," etc.).
3. Place the adjective used in the relative clause before the modified
noun.
:
Examples:
The children who were happy played until nine in the

evening. Reduced: The happy children played until nine in the evening.
The house, which was beautiful, was sold for $300,000. Reduced: The
beautiful house was sold for $300,000.
Reduce to an Adjective Phrase

2. Remove the verb (usually "be," but also "seem," "appear," etc.).
3. Place the adjective phrase after the modified noun.
Examples:
The product, which seemed perfect in many ways, failed to succeed in

the market. Reduced: The product, perfect in many ways, failed to
succeed in the market.
The boy who was pleased by his grades went out with his friends to
celebrate. Reduced: The boy, pleased by his grades, went out with his
friends to celebrate.
Reduce to a Prepositional Phrase

2. Remove the verb "be."
3. Place the prepositional phrase after the modified noun.
Examples:
The box, which was on the table, was made in Italy. Reduced: The box
on the table was made in Italy.
:
The woman who was at the meeting spoke about business in
Europe. Reduced: The woman at the meeting spoke about business in
Europe.
Reduce to a Past Participle

3. Place the past participle before the modified noun.
Examples:
The desk, which was stained, was antique. Reduced: The stained desk
was antique.
The man who was elected was very popular. Reduced: The elected
man was very popular.
Reduce to a Past Participle Phrase

3. Place the past participle phrase after the modified noun.
Examples:
The car, which was purchased in Seattle, was a vintage

Mustang. Reduced: The car purchased in Seattle was a vintage
Mustang.
The elephant, which was born in captivity, was set free. Reduced: The
elephant born in captivity was set free.
Reduce to a Present Participle

:
3. Place the present participle phrase after the modified noun.
Examples:
The professor who is teaching mathematics will leave the

university. Reduced: The professor teaching mathematics will leave
the university.
The dog that is lying on the floor won't get up. Reduced: The dog lying
on the floor won't get up.
Some action verbs reduce to the present participle ("-ing" form)

especially when the present tense is used:

2. Change the verb to the present participle form.
3. Place the present participle phrase after the modified noun.
Examples:
The man who lives near my home walks to work every day. Reduced:
The man living near my home walks to work every day.
The girl who attends my school lives at the end of the street.
Reduced: The girl attending my school lives at the end of the street.
:

Types of Reduced Relative Clauses

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Types of Reduced Relative Clauses

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Reduced Relative Clauses

Reduced relative clauses refer to the shortening of a relative clause

Much like adjectives, relative clauses, also known as adjective clauses,

The man who works at Costco lives in Seattle.

In above examples, "who works at Costco" modifies—or provides

The man working at Costco lives in Seattle.

The second example sentence cannot be reduced because the relative

Types of Reduced Relative Clauses

An adjective/person who was happy: happy person

The children who were happy played until nine in the

Reduce to an Adjective Phrase

The product, which seemed perfect in many ways, failed to succeed in

Reduce to a Prepositional Phrase

Reduce to a Past Participle

Reduce to a Past Participle Phrase

The car, which was purchased in Seattle, was a vintage

Reduce to a Present Participle

The professor who is teaching mathematics will leave the

Some action verbs reduce to the present participle ("-ing" form)

1. Remove the relative pronoun.

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