Reduced Relative Clauses

• CEFR C1
• Grammar
• Printable
• Answer key

Reduced Relative Clauses is a printable grammar worksheet for English language learners at CEFR level C1. It covers active, passive, and to-infinitive reductions of relative clauses, with 5 exercises and an answer key.

Reduced relative clauses make noun phrases shorter and more formal.

Use an -ing form for active meanings and a past participle for passive meanings.

Use a to-infinitive after ordinal numbers, superlatives, and expressions such as the next, the only, or the first.

Examples

• The students applying for scholarships must submit references.
• The documents submitted yesterday were incomplete.
• The evidence presented in court changed the case.
• Anyone wishing to attend should register online.
• The next candidate to be interviewed is from Lisbon.
• The people affected by the decision were not consulted.
• The report containing the figures is on my desk.
• The first team to finish will present its findings.

What's in this worksheet

1. Complete the sentence
2. Correct the mistake
3. Transform the sentence
4. Mixed practice
5. Controlled production

Common mistakes

• The documents submitting yesterday were incomplete.  →  The documents submitted yesterday were incomplete. The documents received the action, so use a past participle.
• The people affected by the decision they were not consulted.  →  The people affected by the decision were not consulted. Do not keep the relative clause subject after reducing.
• Anyone wishes to attend should register.  →  Anyone wishing to attend should register. Use wishing to reduce who wishes.
• She was the first person raised the issue.  →  She was the first person to raise the issue. Use a to-infinitive after the first person.