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I. Reduction in Adjective Clauses
Reduction occurs in Subjective Adjective Clauses, in which immediately after the wh-word,
there is a verb. (cases of who and subjective which)
The men who abandoned their homeland found a new place.
The birds which flew south will come back in spring.
On the other hand, in Objective Adjective Clauses, in which after wh-word, we have whom
and objective which, only omission occurs; wh-word is omitted.
The woman (whom) we came across in the bus stop is a famous writer.
The books (which) we find in abundance in the bookcases belong to Hafez.
In the last two sentences, the maximum change allowed is the omission of whom and which
To carry out reduction, follow the rules below.
1. Delete wh-word (who and which) 2. If the verb in the adjective clause contains "to be", delete that "to be" 3. If the verb does not contain any “to be”, add ing to the root of the verb. 4. Replace have, has and had, (if there is any) with “having” |
Notice the reduction rules applied in the following sentences.
a. The building [that is destroyed] is on Fifth Avenue. The building destroyed is on Fifth Avenue. b. The building [(that) they are destroying] is on Fifth Avenue.(no reduction) c. The man [who is standing there] is my uncle. The man standing there is my uncle. d. The cat [which made so much noise] must be stray. The cat making so much noise must be stray. e. The letter [(which) you sent me] arrived today.(no reduction) f. The pot [which broke last night] woke us all. The pot breaking last night woke us all. g. The old people [who had been vaccinated] were immune. The old people having been vaccinated were immune. |
Exercise: wherever possible, reduce the adjective clauses to phrases.
- Sequoyah, who was the son of an Indian mother and Irish father , was born in Mexico.
- Sequoyah, who was first a hunter, became a trader after a hunting accident.
- Sequoyah, who had no education, believed that reading and writing were important.
- Sequoyah, who worked on the alphabet for twelve years, finally completed it in 1823.
- His alphabet, which consists of eighty- five sounds, was an important invention.
- We will have to return the merchandise which was purchased yesterday at the Broadway.
- The children who/were sitting in the fancy restaurant found it difficult to behave.
- The fans that support their team always come out to the games in large numbers.
- The suspect can be seen in the photographs which were just released by the police.
- The food which was placed on the picnic table attracted a large number of flies.
- The company president, who needed a vacation, boarded a plane for the Bahamas.
- She looked up into the dreary sky which was filled with dark thunderclouds.
II. Reduction in Adverbs Clauses
Reduction in adverb clauses occurs if the subject of the clause and the sentence are the same.
When I was looking out the window, I saw a flock of birds fly by. (Reduction is possible)
When I was looking out the window, a flock of birds flew by. (Reduction is impossible)
To carry out reduction, follow the rules below.
1. Delete the subject of adverb clause. 2. If the verb in the adverb clause contains "to be", delete that "to be" 3. If the verb does not contain any “to be”, add ing to the root of the verb. 4. Replace have, has and had, (if there is any) with “having” 5. Delete the subordinate if the meaning does not alter. |
Notice the reduction rules applied in the following sentences.
a. [While I was walking in the park], I saw my old roommate. (While) walking in the park, I saw my old roommate. (even While can be deleted) b. [After Bill moved to Mexico], he began to speak Spanish. After moving to Mexico, Bill began to speak Spanish. (After cannot be deleted) c. [After the candidates had finished their campaign], they moved. (After) having finished their campaign, the candidates moved. (After is optional) d. [If you are not satisfied], you can return the product. If not satisfied, you can return the product. (If cannot be deleted as the meaning changes) e. [When you are ready], you can start your speech. When ready, you can start your speech. f. [Though George felt sick], he attended the class. Though feeling sick, George attended the class. g. [Because the program was not receiving good training], it was postponed to a proper time. Not receiving good training, the program was postponed to a proper time. |
Reduce the adverb clauses to phrases.
- The ointment can be applied where it is needed.
- Tom began to look a job after he completed his master’s degree in engineering.
- Although he is not selected for the team, he attends all of the games as a fan.
- When the buyer purchases at this store, he gets a guarantee on all items.
- The medicine is not effective unless it is taken as it is directed.
- You should negotiate a lot before you buy a new car.
- . Steve has had to learn how to cook and clean since he left home.
- Once the swimsuits are purchased, they cannot be returned.
- Though the town is located near the coast, it does not get much of an ocean breeze.
- Though she was surprised at the results, she was pleased with what she had done.
- The family stopped to visit many relatives while they were driving across the country.
- When you apply for the job, you should bring your letters of reference.