Gold Experience B1+ — Active or passive? Subject or object? Can it be reduced?
1. Is the relative pronoun the subject or the object of the verb in the clause?
Only a subject pronoun allows reduction.
The people who are organising the concert → subject → the people organising the concert.
The people who they are inviting → object → the people inviting.
2. Is the verb in the clause active or passive? That decides the participle.
| Clause | Voice | Participle | Reduced form |
|---|---|---|---|
| people who live here | active | -ing | people living here |
| the coffee that is sold here | passive | past participle | the coffee sold here |
| the books that are used | passive | past participle | the books used |
| anyone who experiences problems | active | -ing | anyone experiencing problems |
3. Does the meaning survive? A modal (can, should, might) or a different subject inside the clause blocks the reduction.
Look only at the verb inside the relative clause, not at the main verb of the sentence. Then the feedback tells you which participle you would need.
Is the highlighted relative pronoun the subject or the object of the verb inside the clause? Trick: if another subject already appears after the pronoun, the pronoun is the object.
Rewrite the phrase in bold as a reduced relative clause. Write only that phrase, not the whole sentence.
Click every option that is possible. Sometimes both are, sometimes only one. An option you leave out when it was possible costs you the mark too.
Three decisions for each sentence: the voice of the clause, the role of the pronoun, and whether the clause can be reduced. Every decision scores one point.