Reducing Relative Clauses with Participles (Easy)
B2 Level
English Exercises is teacher-led by Charlie. About the teacher · How content is made
Focus on the part after the noun. Remove the relative word who, which, or that, remove the form of be, and keep the present participle. Do not change the main verb after the participle phrase: "The children playing in the park look happy" still needs look because the subject is plural. This route builds confidence with active -ing reductions before you move on to passive past participles and more complex relative clauses.
Quick Rule
noun + who/which/that + is/are + -ing verb -> noun + -ing verb
- 1.The woman who is waiting outside is my neighbour.
- 2.The woman waiting outside is my neighbour.
- 3.The dog that is sleeping on the sofa is not ours.
- 4.The dog sleeping on the sofa is not ours.
- 5.The workers who are building the bridge start early each morning.
All 20 questions
Rewrite the underlined relative clause as a participle clause. Your answer should replace the relative clause only (who/which + verb).
The woman who is waiting at the bus stop is my neighbour.
The woman
The children who are playing in the park look happy.
The children
The man who is driving the red car is my uncle.
The man
The students who are studying medicine have long hours.
The students
The dog that is sleeping on the sofa belongs to my sister.
The dog
The people who are sitting in the front row can see clearly.
The people
The teacher who is standing by the door wants to speak to you.
The teacher
The girl who is wearing a blue dress is my cousin.
The girl
The cat that is lying on the bed is very old.
The cat
The workers who are building the new bridge work very hard.
The workers
The bus that is coming down the road goes to the city centre.
The bus
The woman who is carrying a heavy bag needs some help.
The woman
The boy who is running across the field is very fast.
The boy
The couple who are living next door moved in last month.
The couple
The phone that is ringing on the desk is mine.
The phone
The guests who are arriving tonight need airport transfers.
The guests
The river that is flowing through the town is very clean.
The river
The woman who is talking to the manager looks upset.
The woman
The birds that are singing in the trees wake me up every morning.
The birds
The train that is leaving from platform 5 goes to Edinburgh.
The train
Continue Practising
Continue practising with these related exercises
Participle Clauses Error Correction
HardSpot and fix participle clause mistakes in full sentences
20 questions
Reducing Relative Clauses - Intermediate
MediumChoose present or past participles for active and passive relative clauses
20 questions
Reducing Relative Clauses - Advanced
HardReduce longer active and passive relative clauses in formal sentences
20 questions
Perfect Participles - Easy
HardUse Having plus past participle to show completed earlier actions
20 questions
Perfect Participles - Intermediate
HardPractise active and passive perfect participle clauses
20 questions
Perfect Participles - Advanced
HardHandle negative and complex perfect participle clauses
20 questions