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
who is, which was, that are와 같은 관계대명사와 be 동사를 생략하고 분사(-ing 또는 p.p.)만 남겨두는 형태를 말하는데요. 이 문법은 단순히 문장을 짧게 만드는 것을 넘어, 영어의 핵심 원리 중 하나인 '언어의 경제성(Linguistic Economy)'을 실현하는 도구입니다.카페에서 공부하는 사람들처럼 명사 앞에 형용사 역할을 하는 어미를 직접 붙이지만, 영어는 기본적으로
People who are studying at the cafe처럼 관계대명사라는 '연결고리'를 거쳐야 합니다. 하지만 이 관계절을 축약하면 People studying at the cafe가 되어, 우리말처럼 명사를 직접 수식하는 느낌에 가까워집니다.be 동사를 걷어내고, 의미의 핵심인 '분사(Participle)'나 '형용사구'만 남기는 것이죠. 여기서 중요한 점은 축약된 절이 '비정형 절(Non-finite clause)'이 된다는 것입니다. 즉, 시제나 인칭에 따라 형태가 변하지 않고 오직 수식하는 명사와의 '관계(능동/수동)'에만 집중하게 됩니다.읽는책 (현재/진행)읽은책 (과료/과거)읽힐책 (수동/미래)
- 1현재분사(
-ing): 명사가 그 동작을 직접 하는 '능동'이거나 '진행' 중일 때 사용합니다. 한국어의 '~하는'에 해당합니다. - 2과거분사(
-ed/ irregular): 명사가 그 동작을 당하는 '수동'이거나 이미 완료된 상태일 때 사용합니다. 한국어의 '~된', '~해진'에 해당합니다.
be 동사가 동반되거나, 일반 동사가 분사 형태로 바뀔 수 있는 구조여야 합니다.-ing) 활용be + -ing)뿐만 아니라 일반 동사도 -ing 형태로 바꾸어 축약할 수 있습니다.- 공식:
Noun + [who/which/that + be] + Verb-ing→Noun + Verb-ing - 예시:
The students who are waiting for the bus→The students waiting for the bus(버스를 기다리는 학생들) - 일반 동사 예시:
The road that leads to the airport→The road leading to the airport(공항으로 이어지는 도로)
p.p.) 활용be + p.p.)에서 관계대명사와 be 동사만 제거하면 됩니다.- 공식:
Noun + [who/which/that + be] + Past Participle→Noun + Past Participle - 예시:
The document which was signed yesterday→The document signed yesterday(어제 서명된 서류) - 불규칙 예시:
The cake that was made by my mom→The cake made by my mom(엄마가 만든 케이크)
be 동사 뒤에 형용사나 전치사구가 올 때도 축약이 가능합니다.- 공식:
Noun + [who/which/that + be] + Phrase→Noun + Phrase - 예시 (형용사구):
He is a person who is capable of anything.→He is a person capable of anything.(그는 무엇이든 할 수 있는 사람이다.) - 예시 (전치사구):
The keys which are on the table→The keys on the table(탁자 위에 있는 열쇠들)
The man who is driving | The man driving | 운전하는 남자 |The car which was repaired | The car repaired | 수리된 자동차 |The book that is on the shelf | The book on the shelf | 선반 위의 책 |The data which was collected from the survey...보다는The data collected from the survey...가 훨씬 더 직접적이고 신뢰감을 줍니다.- 회사 공지사항:
All employees wishing to apply for the program should contact HR.(프로그램 신청을 희망하는 모든 직원은 인사과에 연락 바랍니다.)
who, which가 너무 자주 등장하면 문장이 지저분해 보입니다. 이때 축약을 사용하면 문장에 리듬감이 생깁니다.- 어색한 예:
The girl who is wearing a red dress who is standing by the door is my sister. - 세련된 예:
The girl wearing a red dress standing by the door is my sister.
- 카톡 대화:
Did you see the message sent by Min-su?(민수가 보낸 메시지 봤어?) - 카페에서:
Is there anyone sitting here?(여기 앉아 있는 사람 있나요?)
The skills required for this job(이 직업에 요구되는 기술들) - '기술'과 '요구됨'이 하나의 단위처럼 강하게 결합됩니다.
interest는 '흥미를 일으키다'라는 타동사입니다. 따라서 주제가 흥미를 주는 것이면 -ing, 내가 흥미를 느끼는 것이면 -ed를 써야 합니다.- 잘못된 예:
The people interested in the movie...(영화에 흥미를 느끼는 사람들 - 맞음) /The movie interested people...(틀림) - 수정:
The movie interesting to many people...(많은 사람들에게 흥미로운 영화) - 주의: 특히
감정 유발 동사(excite, bore, surprise)를 축약할 때 수동/능동을 반대로 쓰는 경우가 많으니 주의하세요.
- 잘못된 예:
The book reading by me is fun.(내가 읽는 책 - 틀림) - 이유:
The book which I am reading에서which는read의 목적어입니다. 이 경우which만 생략하여The book I am reading이라고는 할 수 있지만,reading만 남길 수는 없습니다. 만약reading만 남기면 '책이 무언가를 읽고 있다'는 능동의 의미가 되어버립니다.
p.p.) 형태의 오류-ed만 붙이면 된다고 생각하여 불규칙 변화를 잊어버리는 경우가 많습니다.- 잘못된 예:
The letter writed by him...(그에 의해 쓰인 편지) - 수정:
The letter written by him...(불규칙write-wrote-written숙지 필요) - 자주 틀리는 단어:
hidden(hided X),taken(taked X),built(builded X),chosen(choosed X).
-ing가 아닌 having p.p.를 써야 할 때가 있지만, 관계절 축약에서는 보통 단순 분사로도 문맥 파악이 가능합니다. 그러나 완료의 의미가 매우 중요할 때는 축약하지 않고 전체 관계절을 쓰는 것이 안전합니다.who/which/that + be + 분사 | 분사/형용사구 |- 동격:
Seoul, the capital of Korea, is huge.(서울 = 한국의 수도) - 축약 관계절:
Seoul, located in the heart of Korea, is huge.(한국의 중심에 위치한 서울)
The man calling Sarah: 그 남자가 사라에게 전화를 하고 있음 (능동)The man called Sarah: 그 남자의 이름이 사라임 (수동 - '사라라고 불리는 남자')
be 동사가 오는 경우에만 가능합니다. The man who lives next door처럼 일반 동사만 있는 경우 The man living next door로 바꿀 수 있지만, 시제나 의미 전달에 혼동이 올 수 있다면 축약하지 않는 것이 좋습니다.that은 축약이 안 되나요?that도 관계대명사 주격으로 쓰였다면 똑같이 축약 가능합니다. The car that is parked there → The car parked there. 관계대명사의 종류보다는 그 뒤에 be 동사가 오는지, 주격인지가 더 중요합니다.My brother, who is working in London, is coming home. → My brother, working in London, is coming home. 다만 이 경우 콤마를 그대로 유지하여 부연 설명임을 나타내야 합니다.who is를 빼는 것이 허전하게 느껴질 수 있지만, 자꾸 연습하다 보면 영어 특유의 간결한 리듬을 타게 될 거예요. 오늘 배운 내용을 바탕으로 여러분이 즐겨 보는 미드나 뉴스 기사에서 분사로 시작하는 수식구들을 찾아보세요. «아, 이게 원래는 관계대명사가 있었던 자리구나!»라고 무릎을 탁 치는 순간, 여러분의 영어 실력은 이미 한 단계 올라가 있을 것입니다. 쉽죠? 할 수 있습니다!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
| 원래 절 종류 | 전체 절 예시 | 축약된 절 예시 | 축약 이유 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
능동태
|
The student `who is talking` is my brother.
|
The student `talking` is my brother.
|
주어(student)가 행동을 *하는* 경우.
|
|
수동태
|
The book `which was written` by her is great.
|
The book `written` by her is great.
|
주어(book)가 행동을 *받는* 경우.
|
|
능동태
|
The birds `that are singing` woke me up.
|
The birds `singing` woke me up.
|
주어(birds)가 행동을 *하는* 경우.
|
|
수동태
|
The food `that was prepared` for the party was delicious.
|
The food `prepared` for the party was delicious.
|
주어(food)가 행동을 *받는* 경우.
|
|
능동태
|
The person `who is waiting` for the bus is late.
|
The person `waiting` for the bus is late.
|
주어(person)가 행동을 *하는* 경우.
|
|
수동태
|
The products `that are sold` here are local.
|
The products `sold` here are local.
|
주어(products)가 행동을 *받는* 경우.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
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)
축약된 관계절: 핵심 정리
능동태 축약
- who is playing playing
- that are running running
- which was shining shining
수동태 축약
- which was built built
- who were injured injured
- that is known known
제거되는 핵심 요소
- 관계대명사 who, which, that
- 'be' 동사 is, are, was, were
이점
- 간결성 Shorter sentences
- 유창함 More natural English
- 명료함 Easier to read
전체 관계절 vs. 축약된 관계절
이 관계절을 축약할 수 있나요?
명사를 꾸미나요?
관계대명사(who, which, that)를 포함하나요?
'be' 동사 뒤에 V-ing 또는 과거분사가 오나요?
축약된 절 형태 활용
능동태 (-ing)
- • The man `talking`...
- • The book `lying`...
- • The students `studying`...
수동태 (-ed)
- • The car `damaged`...
- • The food `ordered`...
- • The documents `signed`...
흔한 맥락
- • 이메일
- • 뉴스 헤드라인
- • 설명
- • 학술적 글쓰기
수준별 예문
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.
혼동하기 쉬운
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.
자주 하는 실수
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.
문장 패턴
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.
동사 'be' 찾기!
The man who is talking to her is my boss.
능동태 vs. 수동태 주의!
The dog chasing the ball is happy.(개가 공을 쫓고 있음) vs
The ball chased by the dog is lost.(공이 개에게 쫓김)
소리 내어 읽어보기!
The results announced yesterday were surprising.
더 원어민처럼 들리게!
I saw the car parked outside.
뉴스 헤드라인으로 연습하기!
Man arrested in downtown robbery.
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.
발음
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.
암기하기
기억법
Drop the 'Whiz' (Who/Which/That + Is/Was) to make your sentence a whiz!
시각적 연상
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
챌린지
Look at the last three emails you sent. Find one relative clause and reduce it. Does it sound better?
문화 노트
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'.
대화 시작하기
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?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
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
연습 문제
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?
Translate into English: 'El documento escrito por el profesor es muy claro.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the clauses:
The new phone `____` with advanced features is quite expensive.
The students discussing the project needs more time.
Which option is grammatically sound?
Translate into English: 'La información obtenida de la encuesta es crucial.'
Create a sentence:
Match the sentences:
Score: /12
자주 묻는 질문 (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
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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
관련 동영상
17:10 ENGLISH SPEECH | S. JAISHANKAR: India's Five Pledges (English Subtitles)
06:19 How the Ancient Greeks built the first computer - Max G. Levy
16:49 30 Facts You Didn't Know About No Country for Old Men
영문법: 관계대명사절 축약 (Reduced Relative Clauses)
English Grammar Tree
영문법: 관계대명사절 축약 (Reduced Relative Clauses)
English Grammar Tree
영문법 관계대명사절 축약
English With Jess
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