Participial Phrases 2
Reducing Clauses to Modifying Phrases
That + (be) Deletion
A relative pronoun that, who, which + be (is, are, was, were...) can be deleted from a modifiying clause to shorten it to a participial phrase.
- active verbs – change to a modifier ending in -ING (present participle form)
- passive verbs – change to a modifier ending in -ED (past participle form)
Present vs. Past Participle Clause
| PRESENT-PARTICIPLE MODIFYING CLAUSE | PAST-PARTICIPLE MODIFYING CLAUSE |
|---|---|
That + an active verb can be replaced with a participial phrase – ing. |
That + a passive verb can be replaced with a participial phrase – ed. |
The members of the Federal agency [that were] locating a prison on Alcatraz knew that it would be impossible to escape from it. (that + past progressive) |
Alcatraz Island, [that is] located in San Francisco Bay, served as a Federal prison for several years. (that + present passive) |
The government forces [that surrounded] surrounding the island forced the Native Americans to leave. (that + past) |
Alcatraz Island, [that was] surrounded by fog, was a depressing place to serve time in prison. (that + past passive) |
Law enforcement agencies [who knew] knowing about the isolation of Alcatraz chose it as the ideal site for their new prison. (who + past) |
Alcatraz Island, [which was] known as "The Rock", was a maximum security prison. (that + past passive) |
Commas are used if the modifying clause adds extra, nonidentifying information. punctuating clauses
Shortening a clause with a present participle phrase
| ACTIVE VERB SENTENCES | PRESENT PARTICIPLE MODIFYING CLAUSE |
|---|---|
A sentence with an active verb can be shortened to a modifying clause by using a present participle modifying phrase. |
Delete the pronoun and change the active verb to its -ing form. |
People want to see this iconic landmark. |
People [who want] wanting to see this landmark can walk across it from 9 am to 9pm daily. |
Drivers are crossing the Golden Gate Bridge daily. |
Drivers, [who are crossing] crossing the Golden Gate Bridge daily, have to keep their eyes on the road. |
Shortening a clause with a past participle phrase
| PASSIVE VERB SENTENCES | PAST PARTICIPLE MODIFYING PHRASE |
|---|---|
A sentence with a passive verb can be shortened to a modifying clause by using a past participle modifying phrase. |
Delete that + (be). |
The Golden Gate Bridge is located at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. |
The Golden Gate Bridge, [that is] located at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, was designed by Joseph Strauss. |
The Golden Gate Bridge has two towers and it is painted a bright orange. |
The Golden Gate Bridge, [that is] painted a bright orange, has two towers.
Commas are used if the modifying clause adds extra, nonidentifying information. |

Exception
| CANNOT DELETE | CAN DELETE |
|---|---|
The tense of be is needed to make sense. |
The phrase still makes sense without the be verb. |
The London Bridge [that was] located in England is now in Arizona. |
The London Bridge [that is] located in Arizona used to be in England. |

Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
Michele Obama demonstrating her hula hooping skills on the White House lawn. The sentence is missing a verb. This is acceptable as a picture caption in a news story, however. |
Michele Obama was demonstrating her hula hooping skills on the White House lawn. (Change the participle form to a complete verb form.) Michele Obama, demonstrating her hula hooping skills on the White House lawn, promoted healthy acitivities. (Use the present participle to introduce a modifying clause AND add a main verb to complete the sentence.) |
Michele Obama known for her healthy lifestyle. This is an incomplete sentence - missing the verb or misusing the verb form. |
Michelle Obama is known for her healthy lifestyle. (Change the participle form to a complete verb form.) Michelle Obama, known for her healty lifestyle, was pictured on the front of "Life Style" magazine. (Use the past participle to introduce a modifying clause AND add a main verb to complete the sentence.) |
Practice
Alcatraz
Join the two sentences using either a past or present participle modifying phrase.
- Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
Wikipedia, "Alcatraz: history", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz#History
