Reduced Adjective Clauses

Educational Testing Service (ETS) introduced the TOEFL iBT to international students more than a decade ago.  In the new design, ETS eliminated a grammar section. Instead, ETS created four essential TOEFL iBT sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

Some students mistakably think the grammar is unimportant on the TOEFL iBT. However, these students are wrong.  Your grammar competency is now evaluated within the context of speaking and writing tasks.  Therefore, you should be comfortable using a combination of simple and advanced grammar. More specifically, you should understand how to use TOEFL grammar with reduced adjective clauses.

Reduced Adjective Clauses
Reduced Adjective Clauses

Reduced Adjective Clauses:  What are adjective clauses?

Adjective clauses are dependent clauses which attach to an independent clause. “Who,” “which,” and “that” are three common adjective clause connectors. These dependent clauses represent support ideas to the main part of sentences.

Reduced Adjective Clauses: How do I form adjective clauses?

Adjective clauses are formed when you combine two simple sentences together by using connectors such as “who,” “which,” and “that.” The clause connectors can be subject or object relative pronouns.

“Who” as subject relative pronoun:

  • The student is a firefighter.  He is majoring in criminal justice.   
  • The student who is a firefighter is majoring in criminal justice.   

“Which” as subject relative pronoun:

  • Biology focuses on the study of living things. It is a required class at most universities.
  • Biology, which focuses on the study of living things, is a required class at most universities.

“That” as subject relative pronoun:

  • The students are reading a book. It centers on two important economic principles.
  • The students are reading a book that centers on two important economic principles.

“Whom” as object relative pronoun:

  • Professor Tenaka received the outstanding researcher award last year.  I often spoke to her when I took her class.
  • Professor Tenaka, to whom I often spoke when I took her class, received the outstanding researcher award last year.

“Which” as object relative pronoun:

  • Two weeks ago, I went to a beautiful park. I ran 8 kilometers at that park.
  • Two weeks ago, I went to a beautiful park at which I ran 8 kilometers.

“That” as object relative pronoun:

  • A lecture on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis took place last semester. Unfortunately, I did not attend the lecture.
  • A lecture on the Israeli-Palestinian crisis that unfortunately I did not attend took place last semester.

Reduced Adjective Clauses: Why should I reduce adjective clauses?

There are several reasons why you should be using reduced adjective clauses:

  • Avoid unnecessarily repeating nouns
  • Create a complex sentence emphasizing a main idea while putting the support idea in the adjective clause
  • Show TOEFL iBT speaking and writing raters that you have a good command of English Grammar

Reduced Adjective Clauses: How do I reduce adjective clauses?

Remember the first simple rule: Do not reduce adjective clauses which use object relative pronouns.  In contrast, adjective clauses using subject pronouns can be reduced:

Adjective clauses using the “be” verb: Simply omit the connector plus the “be” verb to reduce it.

  • The man who is a professor teaches philosophy to undergraduate students.
  • The man, a professor, teaches philosophy to undergraduate students.

Adjective clauses using an active voice regular verb: Omit the connector and change the verb to the present participle form.

  • The student who waited outside the admission’s office needed to get permission to drop a class past the census date.
  • The student waiting outside the admission’s office needed to get permission to drop a class past the census date.

Adjective clauses using an passive voice “be” + past participle verb form: Omit the connector, omit the “be” verb.

  • The grammar book which is located on the table includes three chapters about noun, adjective, and adverb clauses.
  • The grammar book located on the table includes three chapters about noun, adjective, and adverb clauses.

Reduced Adjective Clauses: Final comments

Lastly, you have now learned about adjective clauses.  You should practice using this grammar in your conversational English. In addition, you need to get comfortable using this grammar in your writing.  Combining sentences together in both your speaking and writing will show the TOEFL iBT speaking and writing human raters that you have advanced grammar.  As a result, you will be able to score higher on these two sections of the test.

Thank you for reading this lesson!

Michael Buckhoff, mbuckhoff@aol.com

Online TOEFL Preparation Course