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AlcatrazClause Reduction 2

Reducing a clause with an active or passive verb

 

 

 

 

Changing an active or passive sentence to a clause
TWO SENTENCES JOINED CLAUSES

To avoid wordiness, two sentences that share the same subject can be merged (joined) into one sentence. 

If the modifying clause contains an active verb, the verb form is changed to a present-participle form. The participial clause is placed after the noun it modifies.  The repeated noun is omitted and the clause is joined with a pronoun (that, which or who).  Note that the clause is now a dependent clause.

SUBJECT

1a. The federal agency

PREDICATE 

preferred the isolated location of the island.

MODIFIED SUBJECT

 

PREDICATE 

 

SUBJECT (same)

1b. The agency

ACTIVE VERB

was locating the prison on Alcatraz.
 

 

The federal agency, which was locating the prison on Alcatraz,,

 

preferred the isolated location of the island.

SUBJECT (same)

1c. The agency

PASSIVE VERB

was located in San Francisco.
 

 

The federal agency, which was located in San Francisco,
 

 

preferred the isolated location of the island.

SUBJECT

2a. The prisoners

PREDICATE 

hated being surrounded by fog.

MODIFIED SUBJECT

 

PREDICATE 

 

SUBJECT (same)

2b. The prisoners

ACTIVE VERB

were serving time on "The Rock".
 

 

 The prisoners, who were serving time on "The Rock",

 

hated being surrounded by fog.

SUBJECT (same)

2b. The prisoners

PASSIVE VERB

were imprisoned on "The Rock".
 

 

 The prisoners, who were imprisoned on "The Rock",
 

 

hated being surrounded by fog.

Commas are used if the modifying clause adds extra, nonidentifying information. punctuating clauses
locate – plan, build or construct 
(be) located – is situated
surround – encircle / cover

 

 

Reducing a relative clause with a passive verb
SUBJECT MODIFYING CLAUSE PREDICATE

The subject of a clause can be modified with a clause whose subject is the same.

The subject of the clause is omitted and an active verb form is reduced to the present participle (-ing) and a passive verb is reduced to a past participle. (-ed). Omit the relative pronoun.

The clause is set off from the subject and the remainder of the sentence with a comma.

SUBJECT

The federal agency,

MODIFIER TO THE SUBJECT

which was locating the prison on Alcatraz  (present participle)

PREDICATE 

, preferred the isolation of Alcatraz..

The federal agency, 

which was located in San Francisco   (past participle)

, preferred the isolation of Alcatraz..

The prisoners, 

who were serving time on "The Rock"   (present participle)

, hated being surrounded by fog.

The prisoners, 

who were imprisoned on "The Rock"   (past participle)

, hated being surrounded by fog.
 

Related pages: Clause Reduc 1,  Clause Reduc 2

London Bridge in Arizona

 

 

 

 

Exception
CANNOT DELETE CAN DELETE

Do not reduce the clause if the verb tense, 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  located in England is now in Arizona.   (It is not clear that the bridge was relocated or rebuilt in a new place.)

The London Bridge  [that is] located in Arizona used to be in England.

Change the BE verb in the main clause to used to be.

Solution - lightbulb  Pop-Q "Bridge"

Hula hooping

 

 

 

 

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 activities. (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 healthy 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.)
 

Solution - lightbulb  Pop-Q "Hulahoop"

 

 

 

 

Grammar Notes

Traditional and Current

 

 

Clause Reduction
TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR CURRENT GRAMMAR DESCRIPTION

That + Be Deletion  Rule:    In a modifying clause with a be verb form (prepositional phrase, a passive verb or a progressive verb):

     1)  The relative pronoun that, who / whom, which  can be omitted
     2)  The be verb can be omitted. 

Modified clause: The federal agency — that was locating the prison on Alcatraz — preferred the isolation of the island.

A finite clause (containing a verb marked with tense) can be changed to a nonfinite subordinate clause (containing a verbal form – a past participle, gerund-participle, or infinitive) which becomes a modifying part of another sentence element —adjectival, adverbial, or nominal.

Finite clause  — which was locating the prison on Alcatraz —  the clause has the internal structure of a sentence--it has a subject and a verb marked with tense.

Nonfinite clause —locating the prison on Alcatraz  —  the clause has a verbal form, a participle, not marked by tense. The clause becomes part of another sentence element, in this case, the subject—  The federal agency locating the prison on Alcatraz
Modified clause:  The federal agency — locating the prison on Alcatraz — preferred the isolation of the island.
"Non-finite clauses as modifiers and supplements" (CaGEL 14 §9, 1264) 
  

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

diagram of present participle clause   Click a diagram to enlarge it.

PARTICIPIAL MODIFIER – FINITE CLAUSE

The GGB which is located in SF Bay was designed by Strauss.

REDUCED — ADJECTIVE PHRASE

diagram of a reduced present participle clause

PARTICIPIAL MODIFIER – NONFINITE CLAUSE

Tree diagram of a nonfinite clause

Clause; Subject / Predicate; Finite / Nonfinite; NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det. – determiner

 

 

 

AlcatrazPractice

Alcatraz

 

 

 

Join the two sentences using either a past or present participle modifying clause.
  1. Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right. 

 

# YOUR RESPONSE CHECK ANSWER
Ex. JOIN: Alcatraz Island served as a Federal prison from 1934  to 1963.
WITH: It is located in San Francisco Bay. 		 
1. JOIN: Alcatraz Island is a small, 18 acre, island.  (7.3 hectares)
WITH: It was discovered by Juan Manuel de Ayala.
2. JOIN: Juan de Ayala named the island "La Isla de los alcatraces". (Island of Pelicans).
WITH: He charted San Francisco Bay.
3. JOIN: Alcatraz housed several infamous criminals.
WITH: It served as a Federal prison.
4. JOIN: Robert Stroud became known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz". 
WITH:He spent 17 years on "the rock".

5. JOIN: Al Capone continued running his rackets from behind bars by buying off guards.  (racket = illegal operations; behind bars = in prison)
WITH: He arrived in 1934.
6. JOIN: Prisoners knew that escape from the island was impossible.
WITH: They were held in Alcatraz.

7. JOIN:  The prison was *corroded, aged and too expensive to operate.
WITH: The prison was closed in 1963.

corroded = worn by chemical reaction to the salt air
 
8. JOIN: In 1969, Native Americans moved onto the island.
WITH: They were relocated from other areas.

9. JOIN: The Native Americans wanted to turn the island into an education, culture and ecology center. 
WITH: They were claiming the island under the *Under the Treaty of Fort Laramie 1868.


*An agreement between the Sioux and the U.S. to return all un-used Federal land to the tribe.
 
10. JOIN: Fires made the occupation of the island difficult for the Native Americans. 
WITH: The fires were set by unknown causes.
11. JOIN: The Native Americans had gotten enough public support to renegotiate the U.S. treaty. 
WITH: They were forced off the island.

12. JOIN:  Currently, Alcatraz island serves as a cultural center, tourist destination and site for filming movies. 
WITH: The island is designated as a National Historical Landmark.

   

Wikipedia, "Alcatraz: history", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz#History