B2 · Lesson 30 · 25 min
Reduced relative and participle clauses
In this lesson
- I can use participle clauses to describe nouns efficiently.
- I can make the understood subject of an opening participle clause clear.
Grammar in context
The people waiting outside had tickets for the morning tour. The tickets printed in blue were valid for the afternoon. Having checked the list, the guide opened the door and welcomed the first group.
Who is waiting, what was printed, and who checked the list before opening the door?
Describe a noun with a participle
An -ing participle after a noun can describe an active relationship: people waiting outside means people who are waiting outside in this context. A past participle often expresses a passive relationship: documents signed yesterday means documents that were signed yesterday. Use the meaning of the verb and the noun together. The participle alone does not carry a full tense, so time must be understood from the surrounding sentence.
- The passenger carrying a red bag is my aunt.
- The boxes delivered this morning are in the hall.
Keep the subject of an opening clause clear
An opening participle clause often shares its understood subject with the main clause. Walking home, Maya saw a fox means Maya was walking. If the main subject cannot perform that action, the result can confuse the reader. Rewrite a dangling participle with an explicit subject or change the main clause. Do not assume that the nearest noun inside an object phrase provides the missing subject.
- Looking through the window, I noticed a broken fence.
- While I was checking the figures, a mistake became clear.
Show an earlier completed action
Having plus a past participle can mark an action completed before the main action. Having been plus a past participle gives a passive perfect form. The same subject rule still applies. These compact clauses are useful in written descriptions, but a full clause may be easier to follow when the subject changes or the time relationship is complex. Reduction is a choice, not a requirement for more advanced writing.
- Having read the instructions, Noor started the task.
- Having been repaired, the camera worked normally again.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
Walking to work, the rain soaked my jacket.
Use
While I was walking to work, the rain soaked my jacket.
The original makes rain the apparent subject of walking; the full clause identifies the walker.
Avoid
The files sending yesterday were confidential.
Use
The files sent yesterday were confidential.
The files receive the action, so the passive description uses sent.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.