× PREFACE
  CHAPTER 1
What is Academic English?
  CHAPTER 2
Academic Vocabulary
  CHAPTER 4
Paraphrasing, Summarising and Quoting
  CHAPTER 5
Paragraph Structure
  CHAPTER 6
Common Academic Text Structures




PREFACE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6
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Home > Chapter 3: Useful Sentence Structures and Language for Academic Writing

Chapter 3: Useful Sentence Structures and Language for Academic Writing

3d: Adjective Phrases and Clauses

Reduced relative clauses

When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause, the relative clause could be ‘reduced’. Reduced relative clauses can make the writing more concise and add variety to sentences. A relative clause can be reduced to:

i) an adjective phrase

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious disease which is prevalent among children under 5.
Can be reduced to -> Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious disease prevalent among children under 5.

Notes:
A related kind of structure that adds additional information is called appositive phrase, which consists of two nouns/noun phrases that refer to the same person/thing. For example,

Ieoh Ming PEI, who was a Chinese-American architect, designed the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.

Can be reduced to -> Ieoh Ming PEI, a Chinese-American architect, designed the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.

ii) a present participle phrase

Shops that offer delivery service are popular during the pandemic.
Can be reduced to -> Shops offering delivery service are popular during the pandemic.

Notes:
If the relative clause is in the active voice, it can be reduced to a present participle phrase (verb + -ing).

iii) a past participle phrase

Cheung Sha Beach, which is located on Lantau Island, is the longest beach in the Hong Kong area.
Can be reduced to -> Cheung Sha Beach, located on Lantau Island, is the longest beach in the Hong Kong area.

Notes:
If the relative clause is in the passive voice, it can be reduced to a past participle phrase.



  3a  3b3c3d

 Activity 11

Choose the most appropriate answer for each of the sentences below. ‘x’ means no word is needed. The first one has been done as an example.

e.g. Cheung Sha Beach, _____ on Lantau Island, is the longest beach in the Hong Kong area. locating
x
located
1. Cheetahs are carnivores that hunt small to medium-sized prey _____ 20 to 60 kg. weighing
x
weighed
2. In Hong Kong, all children _____ between 6 and 15 are eligible to attend public sector schools. are
x
aging
3. The bureau _____ for developing policies in environmental protection is managed by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology. is
responsible
is responsible
4. Consumption vouchers can be used at local retail, catering and service outlets or their online platforms _____ payments by different mobile payment apps. accepting
x
accepted
5. The Big Buddha, _____ the second largest outdoor Buddha statue in the world, is an iconic attraction of Lantau Island. is
x
that is