Reduced Relative Clauses — Omitting "who/which + be" (C1)

Your task

Fill in the gap in each sentence with the correct word or phrase.

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Keep practising! Focus on the explanations below.

The man who is standing at the door is my manager. → The man at the door is my manager. (stand)

Correct answer: standing

Delete "who is" and keep the -ing participle: "standing". The clause is active (the man stands), so the present participle remains.

The parcels which were delivered this morning are on your desk. → The parcels this morning are on your desk. (deliver)

Correct answer: delivered

Delete "which were" and keep the past participle: "delivered". The clause is passive (the parcels are delivered), so the V3 form remains.

Students who are taking the placement test must switch off their phones. → Students the placement test must switch off their phones. (take)

Correct answer: taking

Delete "who are" and keep the -ing participle: "taking". The students do the action (active), so the present participle remains.

The car which was stolen last week has finally been found. → The car last week has finally been found. (steal)

Correct answer: stolen

Delete "which was" and keep the irregular past participle: "stolen". The clause is passive (the car was stolen), so the V3 form remains — not the finite "stole".

People who are waiting in the queue are getting impatient. → People in the queue are getting impatient. (wait)

Correct answer: waiting

Delete "who are" and keep the -ing participle: "waiting". The people do the waiting (active), so the present participle remains.

Documents which are signed by the director are legally binding. → Documents by the director are legally binding. (sign)

Correct answer: signed

Delete "which are" and keep the past participle: "signed". The clause is passive (the documents are signed), so the V3 form remains.

Anyone who is feeling unwell should leave the building. → Anyone unwell should leave the building. (feel)

Correct answer: feeling

Delete "who is" and keep the -ing participle: "feeling". The person feels unwell (active), so the present participle remains.

The road which is being repaired will reopen on Monday. → The road will reopen on Monday. (repair — two words)

Correct answer: being repaired

For a passive action in progress, delete only "which is" and keep "being + past participle": "being repaired". You cannot drop "being" here, or the meaning changes from an action in progress to a finished state.

The woman who is leading the negotiations used to work for us. → The woman the negotiations used to work for us. (lead)

Correct answer: leading

Delete "who is" and keep the -ing participle: "leading". The woman leads (active), so the present participle remains — not the passive "led".

The proposals which were rejected by the committee will be revised. → The proposals by the committee will be revised. (reject)

Correct answer: rejected

Delete "which were" and keep the past participle: "rejected". The clause is passive (the proposals are rejected), so the V3 form remains.

Passengers who are travelling with young children may board first. → Passengers with young children may board first. (travel)

Correct answer: travelling

Delete "who are" and keep the -ing participle: "travelling". The passengers travel (active), so the present participle remains.

The house which is being painted belongs to my aunt. → The house belongs to my aunt. (paint — two words)

Correct answer: being painted

For a passive action in progress, delete only "which is" and keep "being + past participle": "being painted". Dropping "being" would give "painted", which describes a finished state, not the ongoing work.

The staff who are affected by the restructuring will be informed today. → The staff by the restructuring will be informed today. (affect)

Correct answer: affected

Delete "who are" and keep the past participle: "affected". The staff receive the action (passive), so the V3 form remains — "affecting" would wrongly make them the agent.

The dog which is barking in the yard has kept us awake all night. → The dog in the yard has kept us awake all night. (bark)

Correct answer: barking

Delete "which is" and keep the -ing participle: "barking". The dog barks (active, intransitive), so the present participle remains; there is no passive form here.

The report which was written by an independent consultant was very thorough. → The report by an independent consultant was very thorough. (write)

Correct answer: written

Delete "which was" and keep the irregular past participle: "written". The clause is passive (the report was written), so the V3 form remains — not the -ing "writing" or the finite "wrote".

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