noun + verb-ing (+ complement)Use this when the noun does the action: the woman standing there = the woman who is standing there.
Reduced Relative Clauses
B2Reduced relative clauses shorten a noun + relative clause. Use -ing for active meaning and a past participle for passive meaning.
What you'll learn
- Shorten active relative clauses with -ing.
- Shorten passive relative clauses with a past participle.
- Choose the reduced form from active or passive meaning.
- Keep prepositions and extra details inside the reduced phrase.
- Recognize common reduced clause patterns after a noun.
Structure
noun + past participle (+ complement)Use this when the noun receives the action: the car stolen last night = the car that was stolen last night.
noun + participle + prepositional phraseKeep needed details after the participle: the report written by Anna, the painting hanging on the wall.
Build a sentence
Noun
Detail
The womanstandingthere
The woman standing there is my manager.
Use -ing because the woman does the action.
When to use
Tighter description
Use a reduced clause when you want a shorter, denser description: The woman standing there waved at us.
News and reports
This pattern is common in formal and neutral writing: The documents signed yesterday are now online.
Identifying people or things
The reduced phrase helps identify which person or thing you mean: the man waiting outside, the car parked near the gate.
Markers
standing therewaiting outsidestolen last nightwritten by Annahanging on the wall
Spelling
active meaning
→ who is / which is + verb → verb-ingthe girl who is wearing red → the girl wearing redpassive meaning
→ which was / that was + past participle → past participlethe bike that was stolen → the bike stolenextra detail after the verb
→ keep the detail after the participlethe report written by AnnaCommon mistakes
Wrong
The woman who is standing there waved at us.
Correct
The woman standing there waved at us.
In the reduced form, remove who is and keep the -ing form.
Wrong
The people invited outside are waiting for a taxi.
Correct
The people waiting outside are waiting for a taxi.
The people do the action of waiting, so use -ing, not a past participle.
Wrong
The car was stolen last night was found this morning.
Correct
The car stolen last night was found this morning.
In the reduced passive form, remove was and keep the past participle.
Wrong
The documents signing yesterday are on my desk.
Correct
The documents signed yesterday are on my desk.
The documents receive the action, so use a past participle, not -ing.
Wrong
The report written won an award.
Correct
The report written by Anna won an award.
If the detail is part of the description, keep it after the participle.
Common misconceptions
❝ Reduced clauses belong only in very formal academic writing. ❞
They are common in formal and neutral English, and they also appear in everyday descriptions like the woman standing there.
❝ You can choose -ing or a past participle freely because both are shorter. ❞
The choice depends on meaning: use -ing when the noun does the action and a past participle when it receives the action.
Skills in this rule (6)
SHORTEN_ACTIVE_WITH_INGw5Shorten an active relative clause with -ing
When the noun does the action, you can reduce who is / which is + verb to an -ing form. This is common in descriptive phrases after the noun.
SHORTEN_PASSIVE_WITH_EDw5Shorten a passive relative clause with a past participle
When the noun receives the action, you can reduce which was / that was + past participle to just the past participle. The reduced phrase stays after the noun.
SHORTEN_WITH_PREPOSITIONw4Keep prepositions and extra details in the reduced phrase
After reducing the clause, keep details like by Anna, in 2022, or on the wall with the participle. The whole phrase still describes the noun.
CHOOSE_ACTIVE_OR_PASSIVE_MEANINGw5Choose -ing or past participle from the meaning
Use -ing when the noun does the action and a past participle when the noun receives it. Check the meaning, not just the verb form.
USE_TO_MAKE_DESCRIPTION_TIGHTERw3Use a reduced clause to make description tighter
Reduced clauses help you describe a person or thing more compactly in formal and neutral writing. They often package extra information without a full relative clause.
SPOT_REDUCED_CLAUSE_MARKERSw3Recognize common reduced clause patterns
Look for a noun followed by an -ing form, a past participle, or a participle plus extra details. These patterns often replace a longer relative clause.