Question 1

How do I choose between an -ing participle and a past participle?

Accepted Answer

Look at the noun before the relative clause. If that noun does the action, use the -ing form: "people who work here" becomes "people working here". If that noun receives the action, use the past participle: "documents which were checked" becomes "documents checked". A quick test is to ask, "Is the noun doing this, or is this being done to the noun?" This matters more than the tense of the original sentence, because the reduced phrase itself does not show tense in the same way.

Question 2

Why can "who lives" become "living" when there is no be verb?

Accepted Answer

Reduced active relative clauses can come from simple active verbs, not just continuous forms. "The man who lives next door" becomes "the man living next door" because the man is the person doing the living. The same idea works with "students who study", "people who work", and "a book which contains". In this pattern, the finite verb changes to the -ing form. The main clause still carries the sentence tense and agreement, so you should check the full sentence after making the reduction carefully afterwards. This helps you keep the shortened phrase attached to the right noun.

Question 3

What mistakes should I watch for in intermediate relative-clause reductions?

Accepted Answer

The most common mistake is using -ing for a passive meaning, such as "the letter sending yesterday". A letter does not send itself, so the correct reduced phrase is "the letter sent yesterday". Another mistake is deleting too much: the words after the participle often identify the noun and must stay in the answer. Finally, check punctuation and subject agreement in the full sentence. A reduced phrase is shorter, but it still has to fit smoothly between the noun and the main verb afterwards too.

Reducing Relative Clauses with Participles (Intermediate)

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