Adjective Clauses
An adjective clause or relative clause is used to modify or describe a noun. They are composed of a subject and a verb and are dependent clauses, which means that they do not mean anything without the main clause which is an independent clause. An adjective clause begins with a relative pronoun such as who, whom, whose, that, and which.
Reduced Adjective Clauses
A sentence is reduced when the same subject in the main clause and the adjective clause are the same. Adjective clauses use relative pronouns like who, which, or that. The reduced adjective clause is the adjective phrase. It does not contain a subject. An adjective phrase neither have a subject nor a verb. What it has is a present participle (base verb + ing) for the active voice or a past participle for the passive voice.
Rules for Reduction
An adjective clause can only be reduced if the relative pronoun (who, which, that) is the subject of the clause.
1. If the clause has a be-verb (is, am, are, was, were), omit both the relative pronoun and the be-verb.
Examples:
Full: The child who is crying there is her daughter.
Reduced: The child crying there is her daughter.
Full: The building that was constructed last year collapsed because of the earthquake.
Reduced: The building constructed last year collapsed because of the earthquake.
2. For active voice, omit the relative pronoun and change the main verb to the -ing form (present participle).
Examples:
Full: Students who study in good universities have a lot of opportunities.
Reduced: Students studying in good universities have a lot of opportunities.
Full: The person who called you yesterday was from the bank.
Reduced: The person calling you yesterday was from the bank.
3. For passive voice, delete the relative pronoun and the be-verb and keep the past participle.
Examples:
Full: The thief that was caught in the other town committed many crimes.
Reduced: The thief caught in the other town committed many crimes.
Full: The dishes that were prepared earlier are ready now.
Reduced: The dishes prepared earlier are ready now.
What It Can Turn Into
1. Simple Adjective
The relative pronoun and the be-verb are deleted and the adjective is retained and is placed before the subject.
Example:
Full: An employee who is motivated has a lot of enthusiasm.
Reduced: A motivated employee has a lot of enthusiasm.
2. Prepositional Phrase
The relative pronoun and the be-verb are deleted and the prepositional phrase is retained.
Examples:
Full: The pizza that is inside the refrigerator is not mine.
Reduced: The pizza inside the refrigerator is not mine.
Full: The person who is in her mind all the time is him.
Reduced: The person in her mind all the time is him.
3. Appositive Phrase
The relative pronoun and the be-verb are deleted and the appositive phrase is retained.
Examples:
Full: Madrid, which is the capital of Spain, has a population of over 3.4 million.
Reduced: Madrid, the capital of Spain, has a population of over 3.4 million.
Full: Marta, who is the CEO, delivered a speech during the board meeting.
Reduced: Marta, the CEO, delivered a speech during the board meeting.
Common Mistakes
- Deleting the Relative Pronoun When It is Necessary
Only remove relative pronouns like “who,” “which,” or “that” if they are followed by a be-verb (which is also deleted) or if the object of the clause is the pronoun.
Correct (Full): The woman who helped their family is so benevolent.
Correct (Reduced): The woman helping their family is so benevolent.
Incorrect: The woman helped their family is so benevolent.
2. Improper Verb Construction in Participle Forms
To reduce an active adjective clause, the present participle (the “-ing” form) is used. For a passive adjective clause, the past participle (the “-ed” or third form verb) is used.
Present participle:
Correct: Families traveling together create wonderful memories.
Incorrect: Families travel together create wonderful memories.
Past participle:
Correct: The new managers hired last week introduced themselves to their teams today.
Incorrect: The new managers hire last week introduced themselves to their teams today.
3. Misplacing the Reduced Clause
In order to avoid confusion or misrelated clauses, the reduced adjective clause must be immediately followed by the noun it modifies.
Correct (Full): The window which is in her bedroom needs a curtain.
Correct (Reduced): The window in her bedroom needs a curtain.
Incorrect: The window needs a curtain which is in her bedroom. = The curtain is in the bedroom, not the window.
4. Reducing Clauses with a Subject After the Relative Pronoun
A clause cannot be reduced if the relative pronoun is followed by another subject.
Correct: Does he know the old lady whom I was waving at?
[“Whom” is followed by the subject “I”, hence, it cannot be reduced.]
Incorrect: Does he know the old lady I was waving at?
5. Changing the Meaning with Commas
The sentence’s meaning can drastically change if commas are misused with reduced clauses.
The couples getting married should register at the city hall.
[Only those couples who are getting married]
The couples, getting married, should register at the city hall.
[Means all couples got married]
6. Attempting to Reduce Certain Pronouns or Adverbs
Clauses cannot be reduced if they start with “whose”, “where”, “why”, or “when”.
Incorrect: We know a company he can work.
Correct: We know a company where he can work.