Reduced relative clauses worksheet

Name: ____________________   Date: ____________________

Answer key & explanations

1. People waiting — An active ongoing description can use an -ing phrase.
2. The report written yesterday — The report receives the action, so use the passive participle written.
3. A woman who is carrying it — The woman is the agent of carrying.
4. The forms submitted online — Forms are submitted; the passive participle is submitted.
5. Anyone who wishes to join — Wishing gives an active description of anyone.
6. the students waiting outside — An active continuous relative clause can reduce to an -ing phrase.
7. the report written yesterday — A passive relative clause can reduce to a past-participle phrase.
8. the items stored upstairs — Stored describes items that someone has stored; the other -ing phrases describe active doers.
9. anyone wanting to join — Wanting preserves the active meaning; wanted would change the structure and meaning.
10. the bridge built in 1900 — Built is the past participle and preserves the passive meaning.

Want more reduced relative clauses practice?

The online topic pack has 40 exercises across four sets, including sentence work and original writing. This printable covers the ten-question warm-up.