Advanced Relative Clauses: Reduced, Nominal, and Prepositional
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Master complex sentence flow by omitting relative pronouns or shifting prepositions to the end of clauses for a more natural, academic tone.
- Reduce relative clauses by removing the pronoun and 'be' verb: 'The man who is standing' becomes 'The man standing'.
- Use nominal relative clauses (what/whatever/whoever) to act as a noun phrase: 'What he said was true'.
- Shift prepositions to the end of the clause in informal contexts: 'The person to whom I spoke' vs 'The person I spoke to'.
At C1 level, relative clauses go beyond simple defining and non-defining. You can reduce them, use them as nouns, and position prepositions formally with whom and which.
Reduced Relative Clauses
Drop the relative pronoun + auxiliary, keep the participle:
Active (-ing)
The student who is sitting by the door raised her hand.
Passive (-ed/-en)
The report that was submitted yesterday needs corrections.
Nominal Relative Clauses
The clause itself acts as the noun — no antecedent needed:
✅ What she proposed changed everything. (subject)
✅ I understand what you mean. (object)
✅ Give it to whoever arrives first.
✅ Whatever you decide, I support you.
Formal Prepositional Relatives
| Informal | Formal |
|---|---|
| the colleague I work with | the colleague with whom I work |
| the topic we argued about | the topic about which we argued |
| the reason he left for | the reason for which he left |
Common Mistakes
❌ The man which arrived → ✅ The man who arrived
❌ What that she said was true → ✅ What she said was true
Relative Clause Reduction Patterns
| Original Clause | Reduction Type | Reduced Form |
|---|---|---|
|
The man who is standing
|
Participle
|
The man standing
|
|
The book which was written
|
Passive
|
The book written
|
|
The woman who works here
|
Active
|
The woman working here
|
|
The car that is red
|
Adjective
|
The red car
|
|
The person who is in charge
|
Prepositional
|
The person in charge
|
|
The report that was finished
|
Passive
|
The report finished
|
Common Nominal Relative Clauses
| Pronoun | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
What
|
Thing
|
What I need
|
|
Whoever
|
Person
|
Whoever arrives
|
|
Whatever
|
Thing
|
Whatever happens
|
|
Whichever
|
Choice
|
Whichever you pick
|
Meanings
Advanced relative clauses allow for the condensation of information and the creation of noun-like clauses, essential for high-level academic and professional communication.
Reduced Relative Clauses
Removing the relative pronoun and auxiliary verb to create a concise modifier.
“The woman sitting by the window is my boss.”
“Any student found cheating will be disqualified.”
Nominal Relative Clauses
Clauses starting with wh-words that function as a noun phrase.
“What she needs is a vacation.”
“I don't know who you are talking about.”
Prepositional Stranding
Moving the preposition to the end of the relative clause.
“The house that I grew up in is for sale.”
“The person whom I was looking for left.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Reduced (Active)
|
Noun + -ing
|
The girl running
|
|
Reduced (Passive)
|
Noun + -ed
|
The letter sent
|
|
Nominal
|
Wh- + Clause
|
What I said
|
|
Stranded
|
Noun + ... + Prep
|
The friend I live with
|
|
Formal
|
Prep + Whom/Which
|
The friend with whom I live
|
|
Possessive
|
Noun + Whose
|
The boy whose car it is
|
Formality Spectrum
The person to whom I spoke was helpful. (Professional vs casual)
The person I spoke to was helpful. (Professional vs casual)
The person I talked to was helpful. (Professional vs casual)
The person I chatted with was cool. (Professional vs casual)
Relative Clause Types
Reduced
- The man standing El hombre de pie
Nominal
- What I want Lo que quiero
Prepositional
- The house I live in La casa en la que vivo
Formal vs Informal
Examples by Level
The man who is tall is my teacher.
The dog that is small is cute.
The girl who is singing is happy.
The house that is blue is big.
The book that I bought is interesting.
What I want is a coffee.
The person who lives here is nice.
The movie that we saw was long.
The man sitting in the chair is my father.
The report which was finished yesterday is on my desk.
Whoever calls first gets the prize.
The city where I grew up is beautiful.
The woman to whom I spoke was very helpful.
The house I grew up in is now a museum.
Whatever you decide, I will support you.
The project, started last year, is finally complete.
The candidate, having completed the test, left the room.
What makes this theory compelling is its simplicity.
The person I was referring to is not here.
Any student found violating the rules will be expelled.
Whatever the outcome, the effort remains commendable.
The evidence, presented by the prosecution, was damning.
The person with whom I am collaborating is a genius.
What is most striking is the sheer scale of the project.
Easily Confused
They look identical, but reduced relatives modify a noun, while participle phrases modify the whole sentence.
Learners often use 'what' as a relative pronoun.
Learners aren't sure when to use 'whom'.
Common Mistakes
The man who is tall.
The man is tall.
The book that I read it.
The book that I read.
The man working is my brother.
The man who is working is my brother.
The report written by the team were good.
The report written by the team was good.
Sentence Patterns
The ___ ___ is my friend.
What I ___ is ___.
The person I ___ ___ is here.
Whatever ___ happens, I will be ___.
Real World Usage
The person I'm with is late.
The project I was responsible for was successful.
The data obtained suggests a trend.
Whatever you do, don't miss this.
The restaurant I ordered from is great.
The place I'm staying at is nice.
Keep it short
Don't over-reduce
Use 'what' for emphasis
Mind the register
Smart Tips
Use 'in which' instead of 'that...in'.
Always strand your prepositions.
Reduce your relative clauses.
Start with 'What'.
Pronunciation
Intonation
Reduced clauses often have a slight pause before the participle.
Rising-Falling
What I need is /coffee/.
Emphasis on the nominal clause.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Reduce the fluff, keep the stuff: drop the pronoun and 'be' to let the participle be free.
Visual Association
Imagine a heavy suitcase (the relative pronoun and 'be' verb) being dropped at the airport to make your travel (sentence) faster and lighter.
Rhyme
When the pronoun is in the way, drop it out to save the day.
Story
Sarah wanted to be concise. She looked at her email: 'The man who is waiting for the bus is late.' She deleted 'who is'. Now it read: 'The man waiting for the bus is late.' It sounded professional. She felt proud.
Word Web
Challenge
Rewrite five sentences from your favorite news article by reducing the relative clauses.
Cultural Notes
More likely to use formal 'whom' in writing.
Very comfortable with prepositional stranding.
Reductions are preferred for brevity.
Relative clauses evolved from Germanic demonstrative pronouns.
Conversation Starters
What is the most important thing you learned today?
Who is the person you admire most?
What are you looking for in a job?
What is the book you are currently reading?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
The man ___ (who is standing) there is my boss.
Find and fix the mistake:
The book what I read was good.
The person ___ I spoke.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
El hombre sentado ahí es mi hermano.
Answer starts with: The...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___ finishes first wins.
The house I grew up ___ is old.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesThe man ___ (who is standing) there is my boss.
Find and fix the mistake:
The book what I read was good.
The person ___ I spoke.
is / what / I / need / coffee
El hombre sentado ahí es mi hermano.
The report which was written
___ finishes first wins.
The house I grew up ___ is old.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, only when there is a 'be' verb or when the relative pronoun is the object.
No, it's a nominal relative pronoun that acts as a noun.
Only in formal writing after a preposition.
It's a natural feature of English that makes speech less stiff.
'That' is for defining clauses, 'which' for non-defining.
In informal speech, yes. In formal writing, use 'whom'.
They are neutral and very common in both speech and writing.
Use 'whoever' as the subject of the clause, 'whomever' as the object.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Que/Quien
English has stricter pronoun-noun agreement.
Qui/Que
French relative clauses are less often reduced.
Der/Die/Das
German requires case agreement.
Noun-modifying clauses
Japanese has no relative pronouns.
Alladhi
Arabic pronouns are highly inflected.
De
Chinese has no relative pronouns.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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