Academic English for International Exams

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When the noun that you are describing is NOT the subject of the adjective clause, you can remove the connector 'that' or 'which' or 'whom', DO NOT REMOVE other connectors, i.e. where, whose, or when.

For example: The herbs many people have in their garden can be used medicinally.

When the connector is also the subject of the adjective clause and the predicate of the main clause is any form of 'be' with a participle it can be transformed into a participial construction.

For example: The doctor is examining the patient who is lying on the table.= The doctor is examining the patient lying on the table. (Participle I)
or The medicine which was prescribed can be purchased at the pharmacy downstairs. = The medicine prescribed can be purchased at the pharmacy downstairs. (Participle II)

If the verb in the adjective clause doesn't contain the auxiliary verb to be, the predicate of the adjective clause can be transformed into Participle I.

For example: People who forget to eat breakfast are usually hungry before their lunch break. = People forgetting to eat breakfast are usually hungry before their lunch break.

In some situations, similar reduction can be made when we have an adverb clause with the connector 'because'. It is possible when the clause has the same subject (thus it can be reduced). The verb is converted into Participle I:

  • if a situation is described, it makes a simple form:
    For example: Because he wanted to expand his personal power, Lenin joined the communist party. Wanting to expand his personal power, Lenin joined the communist party.
  • if a prior action is described, it makes a perfect form:
    For example: Because Lenin traveled in Germany, he spoke German. Having traveled in Germany, Lenin spoke German.

Perfect form of participle is also used to reduce adverb clauses starting with after:
For example: After Lenin took power, he established a secret police. Having taken power, Lenin established a secret police.

Tick those sentences where the adjective clause connector can be removed.


1. She is very proud of the plants that she grew from seed.
2. That is the store where he bought the exotic cactus.
3. People that have small windows should not plant large plants.
4. The course that he is taking will prepare him for his own business.
5. The medicines that they sell in the store are all natural.

Practice reducing the following adjective clauses into adjective phrases.

1. People (who want to buy herbal medicine) have a much wider choice today than even 10 years ago.
2. The human backbone is a highly complex and delicate structure (which is made up of 33 small bones called vertebrae).
3. Brain tumors are a mass of cells - either abnormal or normal (that grow unnecessarily in the brain).
4. The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, although there is evidence (that shows it might be inherited).
5. Emphysema is caused by gradual damage to the structure of the lungs, (which makes it harder to exhale).
6. Which drug is prescribed will depend on the individual patient, and their particular form of the disease (which affects them).
7. St Louis encephalitis, (which was named after the town where it was first classified in 1933), is the most common viral encephalitis in the US.
8. So far, avian influenza has mostly infected people (who have been around infected birds and their waste).
9. Tourette's syndrome tics, (which are classified into two broad categories), can be verbal or physical.
10. In 2004, the number of cases of mumps (which were recorded in England and Wales) jumped dramatically.
11. Starting in 2005, companies (that sell vitamins in Canada) will be regulated by the federal government.
12. Studies (which were published in January of 2006) show that many cough medicines don't really work.
13. The number of people (who have been taking herbal medicine) has been increasing steadily for the last few years.
14. The farms (which grow herbs) which will be used in medicine can get a special tax break.
15. Companies (that claim to sell 100% organic products) are not regulated at all.
16. The owners of stores (that carry herbal medicines) have often tried the products on themselves.
17. Private individuals (who want to get more information about herbal medicine) can find a lot of information on-line.
18. People (who want to use herbs that they grew for medicine) should enquire with a licensed herbalist first.

In the following sentences, make adverb clause reductions choosing the correct form of participle.

1. (Because they did not support the tsar) , many people joined the communists.
2. (Because they hated the tsar) , many people joined Lenin.
3. (Because they did not expect a serious threat) , the Imperial army wasn't ready.
4. (Because he didn't end the war) , Kerensky lost a lot of support among the population.
5. (Because he had experience) , Stalin was a good thief.
6. (Because he wanted complete control) , Stalin killed many communist party members.
7. (Because he was afraid of Trotsky) , Stalin had him killed.
8. (Because he knew what revolutionaries can do) , Lenin immediately established a secret police to stop any more revolutions.
9. (Because they didn't like communism) , no western country supported Lenin.
10. (Because it was not centralized) , the opposition could not withstand the Bolsheviks for long.
11. (Because he controlled who could join the communist party) , Stalin made sure that only people who supported him entered.

Make adverb clauses reduced where possible. If the clause can not be reduced, put 'X' in the blank.

1. (After he attended a meeting of the communist party) , Lenin decided to take control.
2. (After he established control) , Stalin started executing people who disagreed.
3. (After the civil war finished) , many people did not believe the communists.
4. (After Lenin died) , Stalin took control of the communist party.
5. (After they won the civil war) , the communists changed their philosophy.
6. (After the civil war finished) , there was a lot of work to do.
7. (After Lenin died) , there was a struggle for power.
8. (After he took power) , Stalin made many political changes.

In the following paragraphs, change the adverb clauses to phrases, where it is possible and where it makes sense.

1.

After he was caught reading Marxist literature, Josef Stalin was kicked out of a seminary and joined the communist party. After he attended a meeting in which Lenin's group was strongest, Stalin decided to join it. Although he was not one of the decisive players in the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917, he soon rose through the ranks of the party. In 1922, he was made general secretary of the Communist Party, and although this post not considered particularly significant at the time, it gave him control over appointments and thus allowed him to build up a base of support. After Lenin died in 1924, Stalin promoted himself as his political heir and gradually outmaneuvered his rivals. By the late 1920s, Stalin was effectively the dictator of the Soviet Union.

2.

In 1897, Leon Trotsky became involved in organizing the underground South Russian Workers' Union. After he was arrested for revolutionary ideas, Trotsky was sent to Siberia. After four years in captivity, he escaped and eventually made his way to London. While he was in London, Trotsky joined the Social Democratic Party and met and worked with a group of Marxists which included Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov. At the Second Congress of the Social Democratic Party in 1903, Lenin argued for a small party of professional revolutionaries with a large fringe of non-party sympathizers. Martov disagreed because he believing it was better to have a large party of activists. Even though Martov won the vote 28-23, Lenin was unwilling to accept the result and formed a faction known as the Bolsheviks. Those who remained loyal to Martov became known as Mensheviks.

In the following passage, the sentence structure and grammar are very simple. Edit this essay to improve the grammar, paying particular attention to adverb clauses and adverb clause reductions.

The October Revolution, 1917

The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution. On October 25, 1917, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin led his leftist revolutionaries in an uprising in Petrograd against the ineffective Kerensky Provisional Government.

First, Alexander Kerensky deposed the tsar. Then, Alexander Kerensky became leader of the provisional government. However, he decided that he could not end the war. Many people were happy after the removal of the royal family. However, they quickly lost faith in the new leader. The reason was that he did not deliver any of the promises of the revolution.

There were many "fringe" political parties in Russia at that time. World War I was happening at that time. The political parties realized what was happening, Many of them started planning their own revolutions. The only party that managed to get organized quickly enough, however, was one communist splinter group that called itself "Bolsheviks". This revolution was organized by Vladimir Lenin. Then, he quickly moved his co-conspirators to Petrograd. Petrograd was the capital of the Russian Empire at that time.

First, the Bolsheviks researched the area. Then they decided to target the Winter Palace. The Provisional Government was headquartered there. October 25th 1917 (by the Julian calendar), the first communist revolution of the 20th century took place.

The attack was, in reality, uneventful. There were two battalions guarding the Palace: a women's battalion, and a cadet corps. However, it was not difficult for the Bolsheviks to take over the Palace. The Bolsheviks were basically able to march in and take over the building unopposed. The attack began at 9:45pm. Before that, the cruiser "Aurora" fired a blank shot. The shot was a signal for the attack to begin.