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Jen’s English Tips – Reduced Adverb Clauses

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Reduced Adverb Clauses

An adverb clause can be shortened to an adverb phrase. This can be particularly helpful when you want to express your ideas in a more concise manner. Before you reduce an adverb clause into an adverbial phrase, make sure that the adverb clause (subordinate clause) and the main clause have the same subject.

Study the examples given below.

I slept for ten hours. I felt marvelous.

The two sentences given above express a cause and effect relationship and hence can be combined into one using the conjunction as / since.

As I had slept for ten hours, I felt marvelous.

Both clauses have the same subject and hence we can reduce the adverb clause into a phrase.

Having slept for ten hours, I felt marvelous.

Another example is given below.

He worked hard. He passed the test.

Because he worked hard, he passed the test.

This can be reduced to:

Having worked hard, he passed the test.

There are many different kinds of adverb clauses and it is not possible to reduce all of them. Generally speaking, the adverb clauses of time, cause and contrast can be reduced.

Reduced Adverb Clauses of Time
After he did military service, he became a monk.

The sentence given above can be reduced to:

After doing military service, he became a monk.

He wrote his first book after he recovered from a major illness.

This can be reduced to:

He wrote his first book after recovering from a major illness.

He feeds the cats before he goes to work.

Can be reduced to

He feeds the cats before going to work.

Reduced Adverb Clauses of Cause
Because she was late, she didn’t get tickets for the show.

This can be reduced to:

Being late, she didn’t get tickets for the show.

Because I worked fast, I finished early.

This can be reduced to:

Having worked fast, I finished early.

Because I was feeling a bit tired, I didn’t go to work.

This can be reduced to:

Feeling a bit tired, I didn’t go to work.

Reduced Adverb Clauses Part 2

Reduced Adverb Clauses of Contrast
An adverb clause of contrast can be reduced to an adverbial phrase expressing the same idea.

Though she was beautiful, she wasn’t very popular.

This can be reduced to:

Despite being beautiful, she wasn’t very popular. OR In spite of being beautiful, she wasn’t very popular.

Though she was rich, she was not happy.

This can be reduced to:

Despite being rich, she was not happy.

Here is how to reduce an adverb clause.

Reducing Adverb Clauses of Time
Adverb clauses of time are usually introduced by the conjunctions before, after, since, when etc. In order to reduce an adverb clause of time introduced by one of these conjunctions, you have to keep the time word, remove the subject and then change the verb into and –ing form or a noun.

Read the examples given below.

After he finished the work, he took some rest.

This can be reduced to:

After finishing the work, he took some rest.

Note that we retained the time word, removed the subject and changed the verb into an –ing form.

Another example is given below.

Don’t forget to signal when you are turning left.

This can be reduced to:

Don’t forget to signal when turning left.

 

 

You can’t go home before you finish the work.

This can be reduced to.

You can’t go home before finishing the work.

As

The conjunction as can be used to talk about two actions or situations that go on at the same time.

Read the example given below.

As I was walking down the street, I saw Peter driving a Lamborghini.

This can be reduced to

Walking down the street, I saw Peter driving a Lamborghini.

While reducing an as-clause into a phrase, we usually remove ‘as’ and the subject + be.

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