Grammar: Advanced Sentence Structure
C1 Lesson 5: Reduced Relative Clauses
Why It Matters: Standard vs. Concise
A Reduced Relative Clause is a powerful tool to make your writing more elegant and efficient. It involves shortening a full clause by removing the relative pronoun and the verb 'be'.
The man who is sitting over there is my father.
The man sitting over there is my father.
The Grammar Rules 📖
Rule 1: Reducing ACTIVE Clauses
If the verb in the relative clause is active, remove the pronoun (who, which, that) and change the verb to its present participle (-ing) form.
- Full Clause: "The road that leads to Wat Banan is very scenic."
- Reduced Clause: "The road leading to Wat Banan is very scenic."
Rule 2: Reducing PASSIVE Clauses
If the verb in the relative clause is passive (is/was + p.p.), simply remove the pronoun and the verb 'be', leaving only the past participle.
- Full Clause: "The fish amok that was ordered by that table looks delicious."
- Reduced Clause: "The fish amok ordered by that table looks delicious."
💡 Pro Tip: When can you reduce a clause?
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 like "The book that I read..." because 'I' is the subject, not 'that'.
Practice Your Grammar 🎯
Exercise 1: Reduce the Clause
Rewrite the first part of the sentence using a reduced relative clause.
- "The woman who is talking to the manager..." → The woman talking to the manager...
- "The new building which was designed by a famous Khmer architect..." → The new building designed by a famous Khmer architect...
- "Any student who wishes to apply for the scholarship..." → Any student wishing to apply for the scholarship...
- "The ancient statues that were discovered near the temple..." → The ancient statues discovered near the temple...
Exercise 2: Make it Concise
Rewrite these full sentences by reducing the relative clause.
- The path which leads to the top of the mountain is quite steep.
→ The path leading to the top of the mountain is quite steep. - The mobile phone that was left on the table belongs to me.
→ The mobile phone left on the table belongs to me. - The employees who work in this department must attend the meeting.
→ The employees working in this department must attend the meeting.
Key Vocabulary
- Reduced Relative Clause A relative clause shortened by omitting the relative pronoun and the verb 'be'.
- Concise Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words.
- Elegant Graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.
- Participle A word formed from a verb (e.g., going, gone) used as an adjective or to form tenses.
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
Find it in the Wild
Your mission is to find this advanced grammar in a real text. Find a short English news article online (from a site like BBC or Reuters).
- Read through it and try to find at least one example of a reduced relative clause.
- If you can't find one, choose a sentence with a full relative clause and rewrite it in its reduced form.