Reduced Adjective Clauses
The main relative pronouns are:
| Pronoun | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | used for humans in subject position | Hans, who is an architect, lives in Berlin. |
| Whom | used for humans in object position | Marike, whom Hans knows well, is an interior decorator. |
| Which | used for things and animals in subject or object position | Marike has a dog which follows her everywhere. |
| That | used for humans, animals and things, in subject or object position (but see below) | Marike is decorating a house that Hans designed. |
There are two main kinds of adjective clause:
1. Non-defining clauses
Non-defining clauses give extra information about the noun, but they are not essential:
The desk in the corner, which is covered in books, is mine.
Explanation: We don't need this information in order to understand the sentence. “The desk in the corner is mine” is a good sentence on its own — we still know which desk is referred to. Note that non-defining clauses are usually separated by commas, and “that” is not usually used in this kind of context.
2. Defining clauses
Defining clauses give essential information about the noun:
The package that arrived this morning is on the desk.
Explanation: We need this information in order to understand the sentence. Without the relative clause, we don't know which package is being referred to. Note that “that” is often used in defining relative clauses, and they are not separated by commas.
When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.
Reduced Adjective Clauses — Rules
A reduced adjective clause begins with either a present participle or a past participle. It's simple to know which one to use: if the reduced clause is made from an active verb, start the adjective clause with the present participle, but if it's made from a passive verb, begin the adjective clause with a past participle. For example, the ordinary adjective clause in the first example:
Example 1
| Example | Adjective Clause | Verb in the adjective clause |
|---|---|---|
| I saw a man who was carrying an umbrella. | who was carrying an umbrella | “was carrying” is active |
reduces to:
| Example | Reduced Adjective Clause | Participle that starts the reduced clause |
|---|---|---|
| I saw a man carrying an umbrella. | carrying an umbrella | carrying |
We use “carrying” in the reduced clause because it comes from the active verb in the original clause.
Example 2
| Example | Adjective Clause | Verb in the adjective clause |
|---|---|---|
| The people who worked there got a raise last year. | who worked there | “worked” is active |
This reduces to:
| Example | Reduced Adjective Clause | Participle that starts the reduced clause |
|---|---|---|
| The people working there got a raise last year. | working there | working |
Example 3
| Example | Adjective Clause | Verb in the adjective clause |
|---|---|---|
| The books which were published that year are expensive. | which were published that year | “were published” is passive |
reduces to:
| Example | Reduced Adjective Clause | Participle that starts the reduced clause |
|---|---|---|
| The books published that year are expensive. | published that year | published |
Adjective Clauses
What is an Adjective Clause?
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that contains a subject and a verb. It describes, identifies, or gives further information about a noun.
Adjective Clauses are introduced by the following words: who, whom, whose, which, that, where, or when.
Clause Marker |
Use |
Example |
| Who | People | The tribes who lived in the Great Plains used smoke signals. |
| (subject) | ||
| Whom | People | The woman whom we met was called Lightning Cloud. |
| (object) | ||
| Whose | People/Things | I know the man whose bicycle was stolen. |
| (possessive) | ||
| Which | Things | That is a story which interests me. (subject) |
| (subject/object) | The drumbeats which we heard sent a message. (object) | |
| That | People/Things | The Apache is a tribe that lives in Arizona. (subject) |
| (subject/object) | The smoke that you see is from the hills. (object) | |
| Where | Place | That is the valley where the tribe lived. |
| (adverb) | ||
| When | Time | This is the day when we get the signal. |
| (adverb) |
Prepositions that Come before Adjective Clauses
Sometimes the verb in an adjective clause must have a preposition used with it (a multiword verb). In this case, the last word of the sentence may be a preposition. In spoken English, this is fine. However, in formal written English, the preposition is usually moved to the beginning of the clause.
- Formal: He was the man to whom I was referring.
- Informal: He was the man whom I was referring to.
- Formal: There are a number of ways by which a message can be sent.
- Informal: There are a number of ways which a message can be sent by.
Omission of the Relative Pronoun
Sometimes the relative pronoun may be omitted from an adjective clause. The relative pronouns which, that, who, and whom can be omitted when they are the object of the adjective clause.
- The man whom I met was a Native American. (object)
- The man I met was a Native American.
- The drumbeat that I heard was a signal. (object)
- The drumbeat I heard was a signal.
When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, it cannot be omitted.
- The man whoplayed the drums was from West Africa. (subject)
Reduced Adjective Clauses
Adjective clauses can be reduced to phrases. An adjective phrase does not contain either a subject or a verb, and it modifies a noun. Also, only adjective clauses that have a subject pronoun – who, which, or that – can be reduced. There are two ways to reduce an adjective clause:
1. The subject pronoun and the be form of the verb are omitted.
- Clause: The man who is playing is my friend.
- Phrase: The man playing is my friend.
- Clause: The signals, which are given, are simple.
- Phrase: The signals given are simple.
2. When there is no form of be in the adjective clause, you may omit the subject pronoun and change the verb to the “–ing” form.
- Clause: Anyone who wants to get the news can listen to the message.
- Phrase: Anyone wanting to get the news can listen to the message.
- Clause: His alphabet, which consists of 85 sounds, was an important invention for his people.
- Phrase: His alphabet, consisting of 85 sounds, was an important invention for his people.
