Grammar: ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: Mastery (C1) - Lesson 5: Reduced Relative Clauses (using participles: The man sitting over there...)

⚙️ C1 Lesson 5: Reduced Relative Clauses

At the C1 level, we learn to make our language more concise¹ and elegant². One powerful way to do this is by using a Reduced Relative Clause³. This involves taking a defining relative clause and "reducing" it by omitting the relative pronoun and the verb 'to be', leaving only a participle⁴ phrase.

Reducing ACTIVE Relative Clauses

If the verb in the relative clause is active, we reduce it by removing the pronoun (who, which, that) and changing the verb to its present participle (-ing) form.

Example 1 (with 'be'):

→ Full Clause: "The man who is sitting over there is my father."
→ Reduced Clause: "The man sitting over there is my father."

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Example 2 (with other verbs):

→ Full Clause: "The road that leads to Wat Banan is very scenic."
→ Reduced Clause: "The road leading to Wat Banan is very scenic."

Reducing PASSIVE Relative Clauses

If the verb in the relative clause is passive (is/was + p.p.), we reduce it even more easily: we just remove the pronoun and the verb 'be', leaving only the past participle.

Example 1:
→ Full Clause: "The fish amok that was ordered by that table looks delicious."
→ Reduced Clause: "The fish amok ordered by that table looks delicious."

Example 2:
→ Full Clause: "Any application which is submitted after the deadline will not be accepted."
→ Reduced Clause: "Any application submitted after the deadline will not be accepted."

When can you reduce?
This technique is used for defining relative clauses (clauses with essential information and no commas). Also, the relative pronoun must be the subject of the clause. You cannot reduce a clause where the pronoun is the object (e.g., "The book I read...").

🧠 Practice Quiz: Reduce the Clause

Rewrite the first part of the sentence using a reduced relative clause.

1. "The woman who is talking to the manager..." →
   Answer: The woman talking to the manager...
2. "The new building which was designed by a famous Khmer architect..." →
   Answer: The new building designed by a famous Khmer architect...
3. "Any student who wishes to apply for the scholarship..." →
   Answer: Any student wishing to apply for the scholarship...
4. "The ancient statues that were discovered near the temple..." →
   Answer: The ancient statues discovered near the temple...

📝 Homework: Make it Concise

Rewrite these sentences by changing the full relative clause into a reduced relative clause.

1. The path which leads to the top of the mountain is quite steep.
   Answer: The path leading to the top of the mountain is quite steep.
2. The mobile phone that was left on the table belongs to me.
   Answer: The mobile phone left on the table belongs to me.
3. The employees who work in this department must attend the meeting.
   Answer: The employees working in this department must attend the meeting.

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Reduced Relative Clause: (Noun Phrase) - ឃ្លាភ្ជាប់ដែលបានកាត់បន្ថយ (khléa ph'choăp dael ban kat'bân'thôy) - A relative clause that is shortened by omitting the relative pronoun and the verb 'be'. ↩
2. Elegant: (Adjective) - ល្អប្រណិត (l'ɑɑ prâ'nĭt) - Graceful and stylish in appearance or manner. ↩
3. Concise: (Adjective) - សង្ខេប (sâng'khaep) - Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words. ↩
4. Participle: (Noun) - ទម្រង់ V-ing/V3 (tŭm'rɔng V-ing/V3) - A word formed from a verb (e.g., going, gone) and used as an adjective or to form verb tenses. ↩
5. Omit: (Verb) - លុបចោល (lŭp'chaol) - To leave out or not include something. ↩