1

UCI ExtensionPaper-Based TOEFL Workshop

Reduced Clauses

Structure and Written Expression Skills 13-14Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test

Tutorial prepared by Marla Yoshida

2

Review: Adjective clauses and adverb clauses

• These sentences contain adjective clauses. They give more information about a noun.

The students [who are waiting for the bus] are impatient.

The cheesecake [that my sister baked] wasn’t very good.

• These sentences contain adverb clauses. They answer the questions: When? Why? How? Where?

Please wash your hands [before you eat].

Ann became a doctor [because she wanted to help people].

[If it’s all right with you], I’ll sit in this chair.

3

Reduced adjective clauses• Both of these types of clauses can sometimes be reduced, or

shortened. We can take some words out, and the remaining words still have the same meaning.

• Let’s look at adjective clauses first. For example:

The students [who are waiting for the bus] are impatient.

The students [who are waiting for the bus] are impatient.

• Both of these sentences have the same meaning.

The students [waiting for the bus] are impatient.

reduced adjective clause

adjective clause

4

How do we reduce an adverb clause?• If the adjective clause has a be verb in it (either just be or be

as a helping verb), then we take out the subject and the be verb. We keep the connector word (the conjunction).

[While they were at the mall], they bought some shoes.

While at the mall, they bought some shoes.

• If the adjective clause does not have a be verb in it, then we take out the subject and change the verb to the –ing form. We keep the connector word.

[After I had finished my work], I took a nap.

After finishing my work, I took a nap.

5

When can we reduce an adjective clause?We cannot reduce all adjective clauses—only some of them. How do we know if we can reduce an adjective clause or not?

1. If who, which, or that is the subject of the clause—that is, if the adjective clause connector is followed directly by its verb…

The students [who are waiting for the bus] are impatient. S V

2. And if who, which, or that refers to the same person or thing as the subject of the main clause…

The students [who are waiting for the bus] are impatient.

Then we can reduce the clause:

The students [waiting for the bus] are impatient.

Same people

6

How do we reduce an adjective clause?• If the adjective clause has a be verb in it (either just be or be

as a helping verb), then we take out the adjective clause connector and the be verb.

All the food [which was eaten by the king] was delicious.

All the food [eaten by the king] was delicious.

• If the adjective clause does not have a be verb in it, then we take out the adjective clause connector and change the verb to the –ing form.

The tenants [who live in this apartment] are mostly quiet.

The tenants [living in this apartment] are mostly quiet.

7

Reducing restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses

• Review: An adjective clause with no commas is called a restrictive adjective clause. We need the information to understand what the whole sentence is about. The adjective clause restricts, or limits, the number of things that the sentence is talking about.

#1. Cities [that have many parks] are good places to live. (Not all cities—just the ones that have many parks)

8

Reducing restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses

• Review: An adjective clause with commas is called a nonrestrictive adjective clause. We don’t need the information in the clause to understand which thing the sentence is talking about. The adjective clause just gives us extra information.

#2. Irvine, [which has many parks] , is a good place to live.

(There’s only one Irvine—that’s the one we mean.)

9

Sometimes you can move the reduced clause.

• When we reduce a nonrestrictive adjective clause (the kind that has commas), we can move the clause to the beginning of the sentence. (It takes its comma with it.)

Irvine, [which is a very safe city] , is a good place to live.

Irvine, [which is a very safe city] , is a good place to live.

Irvine, a very safe city , is a good place to live.

OR

A very safe city, Irvine is a good place to live.

10

And sometimes you can’t move it.• When we reduce a restrictive adjective clause (the kind that

has no commas), the reduced clause has to stay in its original position.

Cities [that have many parks] are good places to live.

Cities having many parks are good places to live.

BUT NOT

Having many parks cities are good places to live

11

Don’t make this mistake!• Remember that the reduced clause must describe the subject of the main

clause. Sometimes we hear mistakes like this:

Walking down Main Street, the trees were beautiful.

This is a problem because it implies that the trees were walking. (Trees is the subject of the main clause.)

Covered with ice cream, we thought the pie was delicious.

This implies that we were covered with ice cream. (We is the subject of the main clause.) (If we actually were covered with ice cream this sentence would be OK. You never know.)

• In real life, people sometimes say sentences like these, but they’re not accepted on the TOEFL or by careful writers or teachers. In real life, people are not always careful. On the other hand, the people who write TOEFL questions are very, very careful.

12

Reduced adverb clauses• We can also reduce adverb clauses. For example:

[When you are waiting for a bus], you need to be patient.

adverb clause

• Both of these sentences have the same meaning.

When waiting for a bus, you need to be patient.

reduced adverb clause

13

When can we reduce an adverb clause?• We cannot reduce all adverb clauses—only some of them.

How do we know if we can reduce an adverb clause or not?

• If the subject of the adverb clause refers to the same person or thing as the subject of the main clause…

[When you are waiting for a bus], you need to be patient.

Then we can reduce the clause:

When waiting for a bus, you need to be patient.

Same people

14

When can we reduce an adverb clause?• Before we decide if we can reduce an adverb clause, we also need

to know if its verb is active or passive.

• These adverb clauses have verbs in the active voice:

[While they were at the mall], they bought some shoes.

You should be careful [when you drive in the rain].

• These have verbs in the passive voice:

[Although the painting was damaged], it was still beautiful.

Please show your passport [when you are asked to do so].

• Why do we need to know this? It’s because different adverb clause connectors work in different ways, depending on whether the verb in the clause is active or passive.

15

When can we reduce an adverb clause?• With some connectors, we can reduce the clause only if the verb

is active:

Active:

Before they went to the mall, they put on comfortable shoes.

Before going to the mall, they put on comfortable shoes.

Passive:

Before they were driven to the mall, they drank some coffee.

Before driven to the mall, they drank some coffee.

16

When can we reduce an adverb clause?• With other connectors, we can reduce the clause only if the

verb is passive:

Passive:

Keep the food in the refrigerator [until it is eaten].

Keep the food in the refrigerator until eaten.

Active:

Keep the food in the refrigerator [until we eat it].

Keep the food in the refrigerator until eating it.

17

When can we reduce an adverb clause?• For still other connectors, we can reduce the clause for both

active and passive verbs.

Active:

[Although he lived in a big city], he grew his own vegetables.

Although living in a big city, he grew his own vegetables.

Passive:

[Although it was damaged], the painting was still beautiful.

Although damaged, the painting was still beautiful.

18

Which connectors are in which group?• Only active. Clauses with these connectors can be reduced

only when the verb is active:

• Only passive. Clauses with these connectors can be reduced only when the verb is passive:

• Both. Clauses with these connectors can be reduced with both active and passive verbs.

after before since while

asonce

untilwhenever

wherewherever

althoughif

thoughunless

whenwhether

19

Summary

In this section, you have learned about these things:

• We can reduce an adjective clause, but not always.

• With a be verb: Take out the connector and the be verb.

• With other verbs: Take out the connector and change the verb to –ing.

• We can reduce an adverb clause, but not always.

• With a be verb: Take out the subject and the be verb.

• With other verbs: Take out the subject and change the verb to –ing.