Trimming who is/which was: the man standing there, the books sold last year, the first person to arrive
I can compress relative clauses into participle and infinitive phrases with the right voice.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Passengers travelling with children board first.
Passengers travelling with children board first.
She was the only candidate to answer every question asked by the panel.
She was the only candidate to answer every question asked by the panel.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Drop the pronoun + be, keep the participle:
| Full | Reduced |
|---|---|
| the man who is standing there | the man standing there |
| the books which were sold last year | the books sold last year |
| the first person who arrived | the first person to arrive |
Active meaning → -ing; passive meaning → past participle; after first/last/only/superlatives → to-infinitive. Reduction works only when the pronoun is the subject of its clause.
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises
Practice ExercisesWrong participle voice
Doing it → -ing; having it done to them → p.p.
Object relatives reduced
Only subject relatives reduce
Passengers travelling with children board first.
Passengers travelling with children board first.
Active reduction: who travel → travelling.
She was the only candidate to answer every question asked by the panel.
She was the only candidate to answer every question asked by the panel.
to-infinitive after only + passive reduction (asked).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in B2 course exercises