Reduced relative categories are a short form of related clauses. They are also known as reduced adjective categories.
Related categories often change the noun or noun phrase in a sentence as in this example, where the word ‘table’ is modified:
- The table that he bought was for his kitchen
In this reduced clause, ‘that’ is no longer used:
- The table he bought was for his kitchen
When do we use reduced relative clauses?
Reduced sections can be used to make your writing more concise and to the point, so it is common to use them within formal or academic writing, although they may appear in any style of writing.
Examples of Reduced Relative Clauses
Let’s have a look at some simple examples of sentences with Reduced Relative Clause:
| The girl who is standing by the table is my sister. | The girl standing by the table is my sister |
| The watch that was found in the lobby belongs to Lilly | The watch found in the lobby belongs to Lilly. |
| People who live in large cities have many resources | People living in large cities have many resources |
| Students who need extra help should see a tutor. | Students need extra should see a tutor |
| The words that are underlined in red have errors. | The words underlined in red have errors |
| People who live on the streets often need medical attention. | People live on the streets often need medical attention |
| The keys that are on the table are mine. | The keys on the table are mine |
| The study which was conducted by the university is now in a journal | The study conducted by the university is now in a journal |
| The girl who is swimming in the lake is my sister | The girl swimming in the lake is my sister |
| Children who are born with congenital heart disease may have many health difficulties. | Children born with congenital heart disease may have many health difficulties |
keep exploring EnglishBix to learn about different types of clauses in English.