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Shortening relative clauses using participles or infinitives.
Practice: build the sentences →A relative clause can sometimes be shortened by removing the relative pronoun and auxiliary or by replacing the clause with a participle or infinitive construction.
Reduced relative clauses make sentences more concise, especially in written and formal English.
The people living here are friendly.
Люди, живущие здесь, дружелюбные.
The reduced clause "living here" corresponds to the full relative clause "who live here".
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The reduced clause "signed yesterday" corresponds to "that were signed yesterday".
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The reduced clause "standing by the door" corresponds to "who is standing by the door".
The products made in Italy are popular.
Продукты, сделанные в Италии, популярны.
The reduced clause "made in Italy" corresponds to "that are made in Italy".
She was the first person to arrive.
Она была первым человеком, который прибыл.
The infinitive reduction "to arrive" corresponds to "who arrived".
An active relative clause can often be reduced to a present participle when the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.
For example, The people who live here becomes The people living here.
The people living here are friendly.
Люди, живущие здесь, дружелюбные.
The present participle "living here" reduces "who live here".
The students studying abroad need support.
Студенты, обучающиеся за границей, нуждаются в поддержке.
The present participle "studying abroad" reduces "who are studying abroad".
The man walking the dog is my neighbor.
Мужчина, гуляющий с собакой, мой сосед.
The present participle "walking the dog" reduces "who is walking the dog".
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The present participle "standing by the door" reduces "who is standing by the door".
The children playing in the park are happy.
Дети, играющие в парке, счастливы.
The present participle "playing in the park" reduces "who are playing in the park".
Present participle reduction is especially natural when the relative clause describes an action or situation that is ongoing or characteristic.
For example, Students studying abroad often need additional support corresponds to Students who are studying abroad.
Students studying abroad often need additional support.
Студенты, обучающиеся за границей, часто нуждаются в дополнительной поддержке.
The clause "studying abroad" describes an ongoing situation and reduces "who are studying abroad".
The people working on the project are meeting today.
Люди, работающие над проектом, встречаются сегодня.
The clause "working on the project" describes an ongoing action and reduces "who are working on the project".
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The clause "standing by the door" describes an ongoing state and reduces "who is standing by the door".
The car waiting outside is mine.
Машина, ожидающая снаружи, моя.
The clause "waiting outside" describes an ongoing action and reduces "that is waiting outside".
The dog barking loudly is annoying.
Собака, громко лающая, раздражает.
The clause "barking loudly" describes an ongoing action and reduces "that is barking loudly".
A passive relative clause can often be reduced to a past participle.
For example, The documents that were signed yesterday becomes The documents signed yesterday.
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The past participle "signed yesterday" reduces "that were signed yesterday".
The car damaged in the accident was repaired.
Машина, повреждённая в аварии, была отремонтирована.
The past participle "damaged in the accident" reduces "that was damaged in the accident".
The products made in Italy are popular.
Продукты, сделанные в Италии, популярны.
The past participle "made in Italy" reduces "that are made in Italy".
The letter written by John was long.
Письмо, написанное Джоном, было длинным.
The past participle "written by John" reduces "that was written by John".
The house built in 1920 is old.
Дом, построенный в 1920 году, старый.
The past participle "built in 1920" reduces "that was built in 1920".
Past participle reduction is commonly used when the noun modified by the relative clause receives the action.
For example, The car that was damaged in the accident becomes The car damaged in the accident.
The car damaged in the accident was repaired.
Машина, повреждённая в аварии, была отремонтирована.
The past participle "damaged in the accident" reduces the passive relative clause "that was damaged in the accident".
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The past participle "signed yesterday" reduces "that were signed yesterday".
The products made in Italy are popular.
Продукты, сделанные в Италии, популярны.
The past participle "made in Italy" reduces "that are made in Italy".
The letter written by John was long.
Письмо, написанное Джоном, было длинным.
The past participle "written by John" reduces "that was written by John".
The house built in 1920 is old.
Дом, построенный в 1920 году, старый.
The past participle "built in 1920" reduces "that was built in 1920".
Relative clauses containing be + past participle can often be reduced by omitting the relative pronoun and be.
For example, The products that are made in Italy becomes The products made in Italy.
The products made in Italy are popular.
Продукты, сделанные в Италии, популярны.
The reduction omits "that are" from "that are made in Italy" to "made in Italy".
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The reduction omits "that were" from "that were signed yesterday" to "signed yesterday".
The car damaged in the accident was repaired.
Машина, повреждённая в аварии, была отремонтирована.
The reduction omits "that was" from "that was damaged in the accident" to "damaged in the accident".
The letter written by John was long.
Письмо, написанное Джоном, было длинным.
The reduction omits "that was" from "that was written by John" to "written by John".
The house built in 1920 is old.
Дом, построенный в 1920 году, старый.
The reduction omits "that was" from "that was built in 1920" to "built in 1920".
Some relative clauses with be + adjective can be shortened by removing the relative pronoun and be.
For example, People who are interested in the course becomes People interested in the course.
People interested in the course should sign up.
Люди, заинтересованные в курсе, должны записаться.
The reduction omits "who are" from "who are interested in the course" to "interested in the course".
The students happy with the results celebrated.
Студенты, довольные результатами, праздновали.
The reduction omits "who were" from "who were happy with the results" to "happy with the results".
The man responsible for the project is here.
Мужчина, ответственный за проект, здесь.
The reduction omits "who is" from "who is responsible for the project" to "responsible for the project".
The children afraid of the dark need a light.
Дети, боящиеся темноты, нуждаются в свете.
The reduction omits "who are" from "who are afraid of the dark" to "afraid of the dark".
The woman aware of the danger warned us.
Женщина, осознающая опасность, предупредила нас.
The reduction omits "who was" from "who was aware of the danger" to "aware of the danger".
Relative clauses containing be followed by a prepositional phrase can sometimes be reduced.
For example, The students who are in the classroom becomes The students in the classroom.
The students in the classroom are quiet.
Студенты в классе тихие.
The reduction omits "who are" from "who are in the classroom" to "in the classroom".
The book on the table is mine.
Книга на столе моя.
The reduction omits "that is" from "that is on the table" to "on the table".
The people at the party were friendly.
Люди на вечеринке были дружелюбными.
The reduction omits "who were" from "who were at the party" to "at the party".
The car in the garage is old.
Машина в гараже старая.
The reduction omits "that is" from "that is in the garage" to "in the garage".
The man with the hat is my uncle.
Мужчина в шляпе мой дядя.
The reduction omits "who is" from "who is with the hat" to "with the hat".
Relative clauses with be + present participle can usually be reduced to a present participle.
For example, The woman who is standing by the door becomes The woman standing by the door.
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The progressive clause "who is standing by the door" reduces to "standing by the door".
The man walking the dog is my neighbor.
Мужчина, гуляющий с собакой, мой сосед.
The progressive clause "who is walking the dog" reduces to "walking the dog".
The children playing in the park are happy.
Дети, играющие в парке, счастливы.
The progressive clause "who are playing in the park" reduces to "playing in the park".
The car waiting outside is mine.
Машина, ожидающая снаружи, моя.
The progressive clause "that is waiting outside" reduces to "waiting outside".
The dog barking loudly is annoying.
Собака, громко лающая, раздражает.
The progressive clause "that is barking loudly" reduces to "barking loudly".
A relative clause describing an earlier completed action can sometimes be reduced using a perfect participle.
For example, The students who had completed the course can become The students having completed the course, although the reduced form is more formal and less common.
The students having completed the course received certificates.
Студенты, завершившие курс, получили сертификаты.
The perfect participle "having completed the course" reduces "who had completed the course".
The man having finished his work left early.
Мужчина, закончивший работу, ушёл рано.
The perfect participle "having finished his work" reduces "who had finished his work".
The team having won the match celebrated.
Команда, выигравшая матч, праздновала.
The perfect participle "having won the match" reduces "that had won the match".
The woman having lost her keys couldn't enter.
Женщина, потерявшая ключи, не могла войти.
The perfect participle "having lost her keys" reduces "who had lost her keys".
The company having invested heavily saw profits.
Компания, вложившая большие средства, получила прибыль.
The perfect participle "having invested heavily" reduces "that had invested heavily".
A past participle can be followed by time or place expressions that remain part of the reduced relative clause.
For example, The documents signed last week are now available.
The documents signed last week are now available.
Документы, подписанные на прошлой неделе, теперь доступны.
The past participle "signed last week" includes the time expression and reduces "that were signed last week".
The car repaired yesterday runs well.
Машина, отремонтированная вчера, хорошо работает.
The past participle "repaired yesterday" includes the time expression and reduces "that was repaired yesterday".
The products made in 2020 are still popular.
Продукты, сделанные в 2020 году, всё ещё популярны.
The past participle "made in 2020" includes the time expression and reduces "that were made in 2020".
The letter sent last month arrived today.
Письмо, отправленное в прошлом месяце, пришло сегодня.
The past participle "sent last month" includes the time expression and reduces "that was sent last month".
The house built in 1920 is being renovated.
Дом, построенный в 1920 году, ремонтируется.
The past participle "built in 1920" includes the time expression and reduces "that was built in 1920".
A present participle in a reduced relative clause can retain the object or other complements of the original verb.
For example, The people working on the project are meeting today.
The people working on the project are meeting today.
Люди, работающие над проектом, встречаются сегодня.
The present participle "working on the project" retains the object "on the project" from the full clause "who are working on the project".
The woman driving the car is my sister.
Женщина, ведущая машину, моя сестра.
The present participle "driving the car" retains the object "the car" from "who is driving the car".
The man reading a book is my father.
Мужчина, читающий книгу, мой отец.
The present participle "reading a book" retains the object "a book" from "who is reading a book".
The children playing football are happy.
Дети, играющие в футбол, счастливы.
The present participle "playing football" retains the object "football" from "who are playing football".
The dog chasing the cat is fast.
Собака, преследующая кошку, быстрая.
The present participle "chasing the cat" retains the object "the cat" from "that is chasing the cat".
A past participle in a reduced relative clause can retain complements and modifiers from the full passive clause.
For example, The equipment purchased from overseas was expensive.
The equipment purchased from overseas was expensive.
Оборудование, закупленное за границей, было дорогим.
The past participle "purchased from overseas" retains the complement "from overseas" from "that was purchased from overseas".
The documents signed by the manager are official.
Документы, подписанные менеджером, официальные.
The past participle "signed by the manager" retains the complement "by the manager" from "that were signed by the manager".
The car damaged in the accident was repaired.
Машина, повреждённая в аварии, была отремонтирована.
The past participle "damaged in the accident" retains the complement "in the accident" from "that was damaged in the accident".
The products made in Italy are popular.
Продукты, сделанные в Италии, популярны.
The past participle "made in Italy" retains the complement "in Italy" from "that are made in Italy".
The letter written by John was long.
Письмо, написанное Джоном, было длинным.
The past participle "written by John" retains the complement "by John" from "that was written by John".
Relative clauses after expressions such as the first, the last, the next, and the only can often be replaced by to-infinitives.
For example, She was the first person who arrived becomes She was the first person to arrive.
She was the first person to arrive.
Она была первым человеком, который прибыл.
The infinitive "to arrive" reduces "who arrived" after the ordinal "first".
He was the last person to leave.
Он был последним человеком, который ушёл.
The infinitive "to leave" reduces "who left" after the ordinal "last".
She was the next person to speak.
Она была следующим человеком, который говорил.
The infinitive "to speak" reduces "who spoke" after the ordinal "next".
He was the only person to pass.
Он был единственным человеком, который сдал.
The infinitive "to pass" reduces "who passed" after the ordinal "only".
She was the first woman to win the prize.
Она была первой женщиной, которая выиграла приз.
The infinitive "to win the prize" reduces "who won the prize" after the ordinal "first".
A relative clause after a superlative can sometimes be replaced by a to-infinitive.
For example, He was the best player who scored that season can be expressed more naturally as He was the best player to score that season.
He was the best player to score that season.
Он был лучшим игроком, который забил в том сезоне.
The infinitive "to score" reduces "who scored" after the superlative "best".
She was the most talented singer to perform.
Она была самой талантливой певицей, которая выступала.
The infinitive "to perform" reduces "who performed" after the superlative "most talented".
This is the best book to read.
Это лучшая книга, которую стоит прочитать.
The infinitive "to read" reduces "that you can read" after the superlative "best".
He is the tallest person to play in the team.
Он самый высокий человек, который играет в команде.
The infinitive "to play" reduces "who plays" after the superlative "tallest".
She was the most interesting speaker to listen to.
Она была самым интересным докладчиком, которого стоит слушать.
The infinitive "to listen to" reduces "whom you could listen to" after the superlative "most interesting".
A to-infinitive after expressions such as the first, the only, or the last can have active or passive meaning depending on the construction.
For example, She was the first person to see the problem has active meaning, while She was the first person to be informed has passive meaning.
She was the first person to be informed.
Она была первым человеком, которого проинформировали.
The infinitive "to be informed" has passive meaning and reduces "who was informed" after "first".
He was the last person to be chosen.
Он был последним человеком, которого выбрали.
The infinitive "to be chosen" has passive meaning and reduces "who was chosen" after "last".
She was the only person to be invited.
Она была единственным человеком, которого пригласили.
The infinitive "to be invited" has passive meaning and reduces "who was invited" after "only".
He was the first man to be awarded the prize.
Он был первым мужчиной, которого наградили призом.
The infinitive "to be awarded" has passive meaning and reduces "who was awarded" after "first".
She was the next person to be interviewed.
Она была следующим человеком, которого проинтервьюировали.
The infinitive "to be interviewed" has passive meaning and reduces "who was interviewed" after "next".
Present participle and past participle reduction normally requires the relative pronoun to function as the subject of the original relative clause.
For example, The workers who are repairing the road becomes The workers repairing the road.
The workers repairing the road are busy.
Рабочие, ремонтирующие дорогу, заняты.
The present participle "repairing the road" reduces "who are repairing the road" because "who" is the subject.
The car parked outside is mine.
Машина, припаркованная снаружи, моя.
The past participle "parked outside" reduces "which is parked outside" because "which" is the subject.
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The present participle "standing by the door" reduces "who is standing by the door" because "who" is the subject.
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The past participle "signed yesterday" reduces "which were signed yesterday" because "which" is the subject.
The children playing in the park are happy.
Дети, играющие в парке, счастливы.
The present participle "playing in the park" reduces "who are playing in the park" because "who" is the subject.
A defining relative clause whose pronoun is an object cannot normally be shortened simply by removing the pronoun.
The book that I bought cannot become The book buying; instead, the full clause or another valid reduced construction must be used.
The book that I bought is on the table.
Книга, которую я купил, на столе.
The object relative clause "that I bought" cannot be reduced to "The book buying" or similar; the full clause is required.
The film that we watched was excellent.
Фильм, который мы смотрели, был отличным.
The object relative clause "that we watched" cannot be reduced by simply removing the pronoun and using a participle.
The person whom I met was helpful.
Человек, которого я встретил, был полезен.
The object relative clause "whom I met" cannot be reduced to "The person meeting".
The car that she drives is old.
Машина, которую она водит, старая.
The object relative clause "that she drives" cannot be reduced to "The car driving".
The house that they bought is large.
Дом, который они купили, большой.
The object relative clause "that they bought" cannot be reduced to "The house buying".
Some reduced relative clauses may resemble adjective phrases, but their interpretation depends on the underlying relative-clause relationship.
For example, the people interested in the course can correspond to the people who are interested in the course.
The people interested in the course are here.
Люди, заинтересованные в курсе, здесь.
The reduced clause "interested in the course" can be interpreted as a reduced relative clause from "who are interested in the course" or as an adjective phrase.
The students happy with the results celebrated.
Студенты, довольные результатами, праздновали.
The reduced clause "happy with the results" resembles an adjective phrase but corresponds to "who were happy with the results".
The man responsible for the project is here.
Мужчина, ответственный за проект, здесь.
The reduced clause "responsible for the project" can be seen as a reduced relative clause from "who is responsible for the project".
The children afraid of the dark need a light.
Дети, боящиеся темноты, нуждаются в свете.
The reduced clause "afraid of the dark" corresponds to "who are afraid of the dark".
The woman aware of the danger warned us.
Женщина, осознающая опасность, предупредила нас.
The reduced clause "aware of the danger" corresponds to "who was aware of the danger".
Reduced relative clauses are particularly common in formal, academic, technical, and written English.
They can make descriptions more compact and help avoid repeated relative pronouns and auxiliary verbs.
The report submitted by the committee was approved.
Отчёт, представленный комитетом, был одобрен.
The reduced clause "submitted by the committee" is common in formal writing and reduces "that was submitted by the committee".
The data collected during the study were analyzed.
Данные, собранные в ходе исследования, были проанализированы.
The reduced clause "collected during the study" is typical of formal writing.
The issues discussed at the meeting remain unresolved.
Вопросы, обсуждавшиеся на собрании, остаются нерешёнными.
The reduced clause "discussed at the meeting" is formal and concise.
The proposal accepted by the board will be implemented.
Предложение, принятое советом, будет реализовано.
The reduced clause "accepted by the board" is common in formal writing.
The findings presented in the paper are significant.
Результаты, представленные в статье, значимы.
The reduced clause "presented in the paper" is typical of formal writing.
Scientific and technical writing frequently uses participle reductions to describe processes, materials, and groups concisely.
For example, Samples collected from the control group were analyzed separately.
Samples collected from the control group were analyzed separately.
Образцы, собранные из контрольной группы, были проанализированы отдельно.
The reduced clause "collected from the control group" is common in scientific writing.
The data obtained during the experiment were consistent.
Данные, полученные в ходе эксперимента, были согласованными.
The reduced clause "obtained during the experiment" is typical of scientific writing.
The solution containing the reagent turned blue.
Раствор, содержащий реагент, стал синим.
The reduced clause "containing the reagent" is concise and typical in scientific writing.
The participants selected for the study were adults.
Участники, отобранные для исследования, были взрослыми.
The reduced clause "selected for the study" is common in scientific writing.
The method used in this analysis is reliable.
Метод, использованный в этом анализе, надёжен.
The reduced clause "used in this analysis" is typical of scientific writing.
Reduction can make written language more concise by removing repeated grammatical material.
For example, The data obtained during the experiment were consistent with the hypothesis is shorter than The data that were obtained during the experiment...
The data obtained during the experiment were consistent with the hypothesis.
Данные, полученные в ходе эксперимента, согласовывались с гипотезой.
The reduced clause "obtained during the experiment" makes the sentence more concise than "that were obtained during the experiment".
The report submitted by the committee was approved.
Отчёт, представленный комитетом, был одобрен.
The reduced clause "submitted by the committee" increases information density.
The issues discussed at the meeting remain unresolved.
Вопросы, обсуждавшиеся на собрании, остаются нерешёнными.
The reduced clause "discussed at the meeting" is more concise than the full relative clause.
The proposal accepted by the board will be implemented.
Предложение, принятое советом, будет реализовано.
The reduced clause "accepted by the board" adds information without extra words.
The findings presented in the paper are significant.
Результаты, представленные в статье, значимы.
The reduced clause "presented in the paper" is dense and formal.
A reduced relative clause should be used only when the modified noun and the implied subject of the participle are clear.
Poorly controlled reduction can make it unclear which noun performs or receives the action.
The man walking the dog is my neighbor.
Мужчина, гуляющий с собакой, мой сосед.
The reduced clause "walking the dog" is clear because the man is the one walking the dog.
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The reduced clause "standing by the door" is clear and unambiguous.
The car parked outside is mine.
Машина, припаркованная снаружи, моя.
The reduced clause "parked outside" clearly refers to the car.
The children playing in the park are happy.
Дети, играющие в парке, счастливы.
The reduced clause "playing in the park" is clear and unambiguous.
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The reduced clause "signed yesterday" clearly refers to the documents.
Choose a full or reduced relative clause according to clarity, register, complexity, and the relationship between the noun and the participle or infinitive.
Full relative clauses are often preferable in conversation or when the reduced construction could be difficult to interpret.
The woman who is standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, которая стоит у двери, моя тётя.
The full relative clause "who is standing by the door" can be reduced to "standing by the door" when appropriate.
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The reduced clause "standing by the door" is more concise and suitable for formal writing.
The documents that were signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, которые были подписаны вчера, на столе.
The full relative clause "that were signed yesterday" can be reduced to "signed yesterday".
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The reduced clause "signed yesterday" is concise and common in written English.
She was the first person who arrived.
Она была первым человеком, который прибыл.
The full relative clause "who arrived" can be reduced to the infinitive "to arrive".
Reduce a relative clause only when its grammatical subject and the relationship between the noun and reduced form are clear.
Common mistakes include using a present participle for a passive meaning, reducing an object relative clause incorrectly, creating dangling modifiers, and using an infinitive where a participle reduction is required.
The book that I bought is on the table.
Книга, которую я купил, на столе.
Do not reduce an object relative clause like "that I bought" to "buying"; the full clause or a different construction is needed.
The woman standing by the door is my aunt.
Женщина, стоящая у двери, моя тётя.
The reduced clause "standing by the door" correctly reduces the subject relative clause "who is standing by the door".
The documents signed yesterday are on the table.
Документы, подписанные вчера, на столе.
The reduced clause "signed yesterday" correctly reduces the passive relative clause "that were signed yesterday".
The people interested in the course should sign up.
Люди, заинтересованные в курсе, должны записаться.
The reduced clause "interested in the course" correctly reduces "who are interested in the course".
She was the first person to arrive.
Она была первым человеком, который прибыл.
The infinitive "to arrive" correctly reduces "who arrived" after the ordinal "first".