Reduced Relative Clauses and Advanced Patterns
Reduced relative clauses represent the pinnacle of sophisticated English expression, allowing you to compress complex information into elegant, economical structures. By eliminating relative pronouns and auxiliary verbs, these advanced patterns create the flowing, concise style that characterises professional writing, academic discourse, and literary expression.
These structures use participles (-ing and -ed forms), prepositional phrases, and adjectives to modify nouns whilst maintaining the meaning of full relative clauses. Instead of writing "The man who is standing by the door," you can create "The man standing by the door," achieving the same meaning with greater elegance and economy of expression.
Advanced relative clause patterns also include quantifying expressions like "some of whom" and "many of which," prepositions in relative clauses, and sophisticated formal constructions that appear in academic writing and professional communication. These patterns demonstrate mastery of English grammar and create the kind of nuanced expression expected in higher-level discourse.
Mastering reduced relative clauses and advanced patterns will transform your English from competent to sophisticated. These structures are essential for academic writing, professional communication, and any context where concise, elegant expression matters. They represent the difference between basic fluency and advanced proficiency in English grammar and style.
Formation
Participle Clauses (-ing and -ed forms)
Noun + participle + rest of information
Remove relative pronoun and 'be' verb, keep the participle
Present participle (-ing):
The woman who is waiting outside
The woman waiting outside
Students who are studying abroad
Students studying abroad
Past participle (-ed):
The book which was written in 1960
The book written in 1960
Items that are made in Italy
Items made in Italy
Other Reduction Patterns
Adjective phrases:
People who are interested
People interested
The woman who is responsible
The woman responsible
Prepositional phrases:
The man who is in the suit
The man in the suit
Books that are on the shelf
Books on the shelf
Noun phrases:
My friend who is a doctor
My friend, a doctor
London, which is the capital
London, the capital
Prepositions in Relative Clauses
Informal (preposition at end):
- The person (who) I spoke to
- The house (that) we lived in
- The problem (which) I'm worried about
Formal (preposition before 'which/whom'):
- The person to whom I spoke
- The house in which we lived
- The problem about which I'm worried
Quantifying Relative Clauses
Quantity word + of whom/which + verb + information
People (of whom):
- Students, some of whom are international
- The team, all of whom are experienced
- My colleagues, many of whom work remotely
Things (of which):
- The books, most of which are academic
- These problems, none of which are serious
- The proposals, several of which were accepted
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ "The woman is waiting outside is my sister."
✅ "The woman waiting outside is my sister."
Remove the auxiliary 'be' verb when reducing to participle clause
❌ "Students interesting in the course should apply."
✅ "Students interested in the course should apply."
Use past participle (-ed) for passive meaning, not present participle (-ing)
❌ "The person to who I spoke was helpful."
✅ "The person to whom I spoke was helpful."
Use 'whom' not 'who' after prepositions in formal structures
❌ "Some of them which are expensive..."
✅ "Some of which are expensive..."
Don't add pronouns before 'which' in quantifying relative clauses
When to Use Reduced Relative Clauses
Can be reduced when:
- The relative pronoun is the subject of the clause
- The clause contains 'be' + participle/adjective/noun/preposition
- The clause contains continuous or passive forms
Cannot be reduced when:
- The relative pronoun is the object
- The clause has a simple active verb (not 'be' + participle)
- Reduction would create ambiguity
Levels of Formality
Informal:
The person I talked to
People interested
Some of them
Standard:
The person who I talked to
People who are interested
Some of whom
Formal:
The person to whom I spoke
Individuals expressing interest
Several of whom
Context-Specific Usage
Academic writing:
"Research conducted at leading universities suggests... (concise, authoritative)"
Business reports:
"Strategies implemented last quarter have shown... (professional, results-focused)"
News writing:
"The minister, speaking at today's conference,... (efficient, informative)"
Creative writing:
"The woman walking slowly down the street... (descriptive, atmospheric)"
Quick Reference Guide
Reduction Rules:
- Continuous: who/which + be + -ing → -ing form
- Passive: who/which + be + -ed → -ed form
- Adjective: who/which + be + adjective → adjective
- Prepositional: who/which + be + preposition → preposition phrase
Advanced Patterns:
- Formal prepositions: preposition + which/whom
- Quantifying: some/many/most + of whom/which
- Multiple reductions: combine techniques for complex descriptions
- Context matters: choose formality level appropriately