English grammar: Reduced relative clauses

What this grammar point covers

A reduced relative clause is a shorter way to give extra information about a noun. We remove the relative pronoun (like 'who', 'which', or 'that') and sometimes the verb 'be'.

When to use it

We use reduced relative clauses in English to make sentences shorter and more natural, especially in written English. They are common when describing people or things.

Key forms

• Present participle: noun + verb-ing (e.g., The man talking to Mary)
• Past participle: noun + past participle (e.g., The book written by John)

Examples

Tips

• Use the -ing form for active meaning (the person does the action).
• Use the past participle for passive meaning (the action is done to the person or thing).
• Do not use a subject or relative pronoun (who, which, that) in the reduced clause.

Exceptions and edge cases

• You cannot reduce relative clauses when the relative pronoun is the subject and the verb is not 'be'.