Acorta tus frases: Cláusulas de relativo reducidas
active o passive.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Reduced relative clauses allow you to remove the relative pronoun and 'be' verb to create concise, professional-sounding sentences.
- Active: Remove 'who/which/that' + 'be' and use the -ing form. Example: 'The man (who is) sitting there.'
- Passive: Remove 'who/which/that' + 'be' and use the past participle. Example: 'The car (which was) stolen yesterday.'
- Prepositional: Remove 'who/which/that' + 'be' before a preposition. Example: 'The book (that is) on the table.'
Overview
reduced relative clauses (oraciones de relativo reducidas) son una herramienta fundamental para elevar tu nivel de inglés de B2 a un dominio más fluido y sofisticado. En español, cuando queremos describir un sustantivo, solemos utilizar oraciones subordinadas introducidas por pronombres relativos como que, quien o el cual. Por ejemplo: El informe que fue entregado por el equipo es completo.
economía lingüística. Esto significa que, siempre que sea posible, el hablante nativo preferirá acortar la frase para sonar más directo y profesional.
The report that was submitted by the team, un hablante nativo dirá The report submitted by the team. Al eliminar el pronombre relativo (that) y el verbo to be (was), logramos una estructura más compacta.oraciones adjetivas o participios en función adjetiva. La diferencia es que en inglés, este proceso de reducción es mucho más sistemático y frecuente que en español. Dominar esto te permitirá dejar de construir frases
tipo libro de textoy empezar a shaping (dar forma) a tus ideas con una elegancia que caracteriza a los hablantes competentes.
non-finite clause. En gramática, un verbo finito es aquel que está marcado por el tiempo (pasado, presente, futuro) y la persona (yo, tú, él). Un verbo no finito (como el participio presente o pasado) no tiene tiempo por sí mismo; toma el tiempo del verbo principal de la oración.The person standing over there is my boss, el verbo principal es is (presente). Standing no tiene tiempo, solo describe una acción en curso. En español, esto sería equivalente a usar un participio o un gerundio con función adjetiva.who, which, that) funciona como el sujeto de la oración subordinada. Si el relativo es el objeto, la regla cambia.- 1Present Participle (
-ing): Se usa para oraciones en voz activa. Indica que el sustantivo está realizando la acción. Equivale a decirque está haciendo algo
. - 2Past Participle (
-edo irregular): Se usa para oraciones en voz pasiva. Indica que el sustantivo recibe la acción. Equivale a decirque fue hecho/escrito/visto
.
que, el inglés permite esta reducción de forma natural. Ojo: si el verbo principal de la oración es is o was, el lector entiende perfectamente que al eliminarlo, el sentido de la frase se mantiene intacto. Es una simplificación lógica que ahorra tiempo y esfuerzo cognitivo al interlocutor.quitar lo innecesario. Observa la siguiente tabla para visualizar cómo transformamos una oración completa en una reducida:The girl running is my sister. |The cake eaten was delicious. |The man happy is my friend. |to be. Si no hay verbo to be (por ejemplo, The man who lives here), a menudo cambiamos el verbo a su forma -ing (The man living here), lo cual es una estructura muy común en inglés profesional y académico. No intentes reducir si el pronombre es el objeto, como en The book that I bought, ya que ahí no puedes decir The book bought (sonaría como si el libro hubiera comprado algo).The book I bought.- Densidad informativa: En lugar de decir
The project, which was launched by the marketing team, is successful, diThe project launched by the marketing team is successful. Es más directo. - Flujo natural: En una conversación en un café, si alguien te pregunta por un amigo, dirás:
He is the guy wearing the red cap, en lugar deHe is the guy who is wearing.... Suena mucho más natural y menos forzado. - Énfasis: Al eliminar las palabras
de relleno(who is,that was), el adjetivo o participio queda pegado al sustantivo, dándole más importancia.
- 1Confundir la voz activa con la pasiva: En español, a veces usamos el participio de forma distinta. Error:
The film boring me(queriendo decirla película que me aburre
). Comoaburrires un verbo transitivo, el participio correcto esThe film boring me(incorrecto) ->The film that bores me(aquí no se puede reducir fácilmente porque no hayto be). La confusión viene de pensar que cualquier verbo puede reducirse a-ing. - 2Reducir objetos: El error más común es intentar reducir oraciones donde el relativo es objeto. Error:
The person I saw->The person seeing. Esto cambia el significado totalmente (¡la persona que ve, no a la que tú viste!). Recuerda: si tú eres el sujeto de la segunda parte, no puedes reducirlo así. - 3Olvidar los participios irregulares: En español, el participio suele terminar en -ado/-ido. En inglés, muchos son irregulares (
written,taught,built). Error:The email writed by the boss. Debes usarwritten. Esto ocurre porque nuestro cerebro busca la regla fácil del-ed.
reduced relative clauses con otras estructuras. Mira esta comparación:The man working here. | Describe al sustantivo (adjetivo). |Working here is hard. | Funciona como sujeto (sustantivo). |The man I saw. | Omitimos el objeto, no el sujeto. |reduced relative clause siempre modifica a un sustantivo precedente. Si la frase no tiene un sustantivo al que modificar, no es una reducción de relativo, sino probablemente un gerundio actuando como sujeto.- 1¿Puedo reducir cualquier oración de relativo? No. Solo aquellas donde el pronombre relativo es el sujeto de la oración subordinada. Si el relativo es el objeto (ej.
The car that I drove), no puedes reducirlo aThe car driven(cambiaría el sentido). Puedes omitir elthat, pero no convertirlo en participio. - 2¿Es obligatorio reducir? No es obligatorio, pero es altamente recomendable para sonar como un nativo. Si no reduces, no es gramaticalmente incorrecto, pero tu inglés sonará más lento y menos fluido.
- 3¿Qué pasa si el verbo principal no es
to be? Si tienesThe man who lives here, puedes reducirlo aThe man living here. Es una excepción común donde convertimos el verbo simple a-ingpara mantener la función descriptiva.
How to Reduce Different Verb Types
| Original Verb Type | Full Relative Clause | Reduced Relative Clause | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Present Continuous
|
The man who is working
|
The man working
|
Drop 'who is'
|
|
Past Continuous
|
The girl who was singing
|
The girl singing
|
Drop 'who was'
|
|
Simple Present
|
The path that leads home
|
The path leading home
|
Change verb to -ing
|
|
Simple Past
|
The person who saw it
|
The person seeing it
|
Change verb to -ing
|
|
Passive Voice
|
The book which was written
|
The book written
|
Drop 'which was'
|
|
Prepositional
|
The cat that is on the mat
|
The cat on the mat
|
Drop 'that is'
|
Meanings
A reduced relative clause is a relative clause that is not marked by an explicit relative pronoun (like who, which, or that) or a finite verb. It functions as an adjective to modify a noun, making the sentence more compact.
Active Voice Reduction
Used when the noun is performing the action. The relative pronoun and 'be' verb are removed, leaving the present participle (-ing).
“People living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.”
“The woman leading the parade is my aunt.”
Passive Voice Reduction
Used when the noun is receiving the action. The relative pronoun and 'be' verb are removed, leaving the past participle (-ed/irregular).
“The house built in 1920 is being renovated.”
“Items purchased on sale cannot be returned.”
Prepositional Phrase Reduction
Used when the relative clause contains a prepositional phrase. Only the pronoun and 'be' verb are deleted.
“The keys on the counter are mine.”
“The man in the suit is the CEO.”
Adjective Phrase Reduction
Used when the relative clause consists of an adjective or adjective phrase. Usually occurs with adjectives that follow the noun.
“The person responsible for the mess should clean it.”
“We need a room large enough for fifty people.”
Reference Table
| Tipo de Cláusula | Ejemplo Completo | Ejemplo Reducido | ¿Por qué se reduce? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Voz Activa
|
The student `who is talking` is my brother.
|
The student `talking` is my brother.
|
El sujeto (estudiante) realiza la acción.
|
|
Voz Pasiva
|
The book `which was written` by her is great.
|
The book `written` by her is great.
|
El sujeto (libro) recibe la acción.
|
|
Voz Activa
|
The birds `that are singing` woke me up.
|
The birds `singing` woke me up.
|
El sujeto (pájaros) realiza la acción.
|
|
Voz Pasiva
|
The food `that was prepared` for the party was delicious.
|
The food `prepared` for the party was delicious.
|
El sujeto (comida) recibe la acción.
|
|
Voz Activa
|
The person `who is waiting` for the bus is late.
|
The person `waiting` for the bus is late.
|
El sujeto (persona) realiza la acción.
|
|
Voz Pasiva
|
The products `that are sold` here are local.
|
The products `sold` here are local.
|
El sujeto (productos) recibe la acción.
|
Espectro de formalidad
The gentleman wearing the azure shirt is my superior. (Workplace)
The man wearing the blue shirt is my boss. (Workplace)
The guy in the blue shirt is my boss. (Workplace)
The dude in the blue is the big man. (Workplace)
Cláusulas de Relativo Reducidas: Lo Esencial
Reducción Activa
- who is playing playing
- that are running running
- which was shining shining
Reducción Pasiva
- which was built built
- who were injured injured
- that is known known
Elementos Eliminados
- Pronombre Relativo who, which, that
- Verbo 'Be' is, are, was, were
Beneficios
- Concisión Frases cortas
- Fluidez Inglés natural
- Claridad Fácil de leer
Cláusula Completa vs. Reducida
¿Puedo reducir esta cláusula?
¿La cláusula describe a un sustantivo?
¿Contiene un pronombre relativo (who, which, that)?
¿Tiene el verbo 'be' seguido de V-ing o Participio Pasado?
Formas Reducidas en Acción
Activa (-ing)
- • The man `talking`...
- • The book `lying`...
- • The students `studying`...
Pasiva (-ed)
- • The car `damaged`...
- • The food `ordered`...
- • The documents `signed`...
Contextos Comunes
- • Emails
- • Titulares de noticias
- • Descripciones
- • Escritura académica
Ejemplos por nivel
The girl in the park is my friend.
La niña en el parque es mi amiga.
The man with the dog is tall.
El hombre con el perro es alto.
Look at the cat on the wall.
Mira al gato en la pared.
The coffee on the table is cold.
El café en la mesa está frío.
The people waiting for the bus are cold.
La gente que espera el autobús tiene frío.
I live in a house built in 1990.
Vivo en una casa construida en 1990.
The boy playing football is my brother.
El niño jugando fútbol es mi hermano.
Do you like the cake made by my mom?
¿Te gusta el pastel hecho por mi mamá?
The car parked outside belongs to the boss.
El coche aparcado fuera pertenece al jefe.
Anyone wanting to join the club should sign here.
Cualquiera que quiera unirse al club debe firmar aquí.
The letter sent yesterday was very important.
La carta enviada ayer era muy importante.
I saw a man running down the street.
Vi a un hombre corriendo por la calle.
The methodology used in this study is innovative.
La metodología utilizada en este estudio es innovadora.
Candidates applying for the job must speak English.
Los candidatos que soliciten el trabajo deben hablar inglés.
The issues discussed at the meeting were complex.
Los temas discutidos en la reunión eran complejos.
The bridge, damaged by the storm, is now closed.
El puente, dañado por la tormenta, está ahora cerrado.
The theory, first proposed in 1920, is still relevant.
La teoría, propuesta por primera vez en 1920, sigue siendo relevante.
The individual responsible for the breach has been identified.
El individuo responsable de la brecha ha sido identificado.
None of the participants, having been warned, chose to leave.
Ninguno de los participantes, habiendo sido advertidos, decidió irse.
The artifacts, discovered deep underground, are priceless.
Los artefactos, descubiertos a gran profundidad, no tienen precio.
The silence, broken only by the ticking clock, was eerie.
El silencio, roto solo por el tictac del reloj, era inquietante.
The legislation, as currently drafted, poses significant risks.
La legislación, tal como está redactada actualmente, plantea riesgos significativos.
The suspect, seen fleeing the scene, remains at large.
El sospechoso, visto huyendo de la escena, sigue prófugo.
The city, once thriving, is now a shadow of its former self.
La ciudad, una vez próspera, es ahora una sombra de lo que fue.
Fácil de confundir
Both use the -ing form, but a gerund is a noun, while a reduced clause is an adjective.
In regular verbs, the -ed form looks the same for both.
Learners think dropping 'that' in 'The book (that) I read' is the same as reduction.
Errores comunes
The boy who in the garden.
The boy in the garden.
The car is red parked here.
The red car parked here is mine.
The man with dog.
The man with the dog.
The girl is sitting there is my sister.
The girl sitting there is my sister.
The cake making by my mom.
The cake made by my mom.
The people who waiting.
The people waiting.
I saw a movie was interesting.
I saw an interesting movie.
The man stolen the car was caught.
The man who stole the car was caught.
The book written I read it.
The book written by him was good.
The students not study failed.
The students not studying failed.
The results, having obtained, were analyzed.
The results, having been obtained, were analyzed.
Patrones de oraciones
The person ___ (verb-ing) is my ___.
I found a ___ ___ (verb-ed) in the ___.
Anyone ___ (verb-ing) to ___ must ___.
The ___, ___ (verb-ed) by ___, was ___.
Real World Usage
I am a professional dedicated to achieving results.
Thousands displaced by floods.
See the girl dancing?
The evidence presented in Chapter 2...
Pasta served with a creamy sauce.
Follow the signs pointing toward the exit.
¡Busca el verbo 'Be'!
The man who is standing there.
Activo vs. Pasivo
The boy playing vs. The toy played with.
Léelo en voz alta
The car that was stolen was red.
Suena más nativo
The people living here are friendly.
Practica con titulares
Man arrested for robbery yesterday.
Smart Tips
Try deleting them! 90% of the time, the sentence will sound better and more professional.
Use a prepositional phrase reduction instead of a full clause.
These are perfect for -ing reductions in technical writing.
Just keep the V3 (past participle) and lose the rest.
Pronunciación
Reduced Stress
In reduced clauses, the participle (-ing or -ed) usually receives less stress than the noun it modifies.
Linking
The final consonant of the noun often links to the vowel of the participle.
Non-restrictive pause
The car, [pause] damaged in the crash, [pause] was totaled.
The pauses (commas) indicate the information is extra, not essential for identification.
Memorízalo
Mnemotecnia
Drop the 'Whiz' (Who/Which/That + Is/Was) to make your sentence a whiz!
Asociación visual
Imagine a pair of scissors cutting out the words 'who is' from a sentence strip, making the two remaining ends snap together perfectly.
Rhyme
If the noun is doing the act, use -ing to keep it compact. If the noun is being served, the -ed form is what's deserved.
Story
A busy editor named 'Red' (for Reduction) hates long sentences. Every time he sees 'who is' or 'which was', he deletes them with his red pen to make the newspaper fit on one page.
Word Web
Desafío
Look at the last three emails you sent. Find one relative clause and reduce it. Does it sound better?
Notas culturales
In Western academic culture, using reduced relative clauses is seen as a sign of high-level literacy and professional 'distance'.
Newspaper headlines in English-speaking countries almost always use reduced forms to save space and create a sense of urgency.
Legal documents use reduced clauses to be extremely precise about which 'party' or 'item' is being discussed without repeating 'which is' hundreds of times.
The term 'Whiz-deletion' was coined by generative grammarians in the 1970s to describe the deletion of 'Who/Which' + 'Is'.
Inicios de conversación
Do you know the person sitting next to you?
What's the most interesting book written in your language?
Have you ever seen a movie filmed in your hometown?
In your opinion, what are the main challenges facing the world today?
Temas para diario
Errores comunes
Test Yourself
The student ___ for the exam seemed nervous.
Find and fix the mistake:
The car damaging in the accident needed repairs.
Choose the correct sentence:
Score: /3
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesThe man who is standing by the window is my uncle.
The car ___ (repair) yesterday is working now.
Find and fix the mistake:
The girl who singing is very talented.
Anyone ___ (want) to leave early must ask for permission.
1. The book that is on the table. 2. The man who was arrested. 3. The path that leads home.
I saw a dog. It was barking at the mailman.
The cake eaten by the boy was chocolate.
Find the odd one out.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesThe old house ___ on the hill is haunted.
The decision making by the committee was controversial.
Which sentence is correct?
Traduce al inglés: 'El documento escrito por el profesor es muy claro.'
Ordena las palabras:
Empareja las cláusulas:
The new phone `____` with advanced features is quite expensive.
The students discussing the project needs more time.
Which option is grammatically sound?
Traduce al inglés: 'La información obtenida de la encuesta es crucial.'
Crea una oración:
Empareja las oraciones:
Score: /12
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
No. You can only reduce a relative clause if the relative pronoun (who, which, that) is the **subject** of the clause. If it's the object, you can't use this method.
Generally, no. It only changes the style and tone, making it more concise. However, in some cases, it can make a sentence feel more 'permanent' or 'characteristic'.
No, clauses starting with `whose` cannot be reduced using the Whiz-deletion method. They must remain full clauses.
Both are possible but have different meanings. 'The concerned people' means they are worried. 'The people concerned' (reduced clause) means the people involved in the matter.
Yes! 'The man who was running' becomes 'The man running'. The -ing form doesn't mean 'present'; it means 'active'.
They are used in both! However, they are especially common in formal writing (academic, legal) to save space and sound objective.
You change the main verb to its -ing form. 'The path that leads home' becomes 'The path leading home'.
Yes. Place 'not' before the participle: 'Students not living on campus must pay a fee.'
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Participio adjetival
Spanish present participles cannot modify nouns directly.
Participe présent / passé
English reduced clauses are common in speech; French ones are mostly literary.
Partizipialattribut
Word order: German puts the reduced phrase before the noun.
連体修飾 (Rentai shuushoku)
No relative pronouns exist, and the modifier always comes first.
اسم الفاعل / اسم المفعول
Agreement in definiteness is required in Arabic.
的 (de) construction
Chinese modifiers always precede the noun and use 'de'.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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