Lingard
English books
Cover of Reduced adverb clauses of cause and effect
C1 · 396 words · English

Reduced adverb clauses of cause and effect

Lingard

Using participial constructions to express cause and effect in shorter phrases. Examples included.

Get started

Not sure about your level? English level test

Reduced adverb clauses of cause and effect involve shortening complex sentences by omitting certain words. These reduced clauses maintain the cause-and-effect relationship between two ideas while making the sentence more concise. To create reduced adverb clauses of cause and effect, you reduce the CAUSE: a present participle ("-ing" form) when the cause is active, and a past participle when it is passive. Let's see how this works:

Full Adverb Clause of Cause and Effect:

  • Cause: Because she was tired
  • Effect: she went to bed early.
  • Full Sentence: Because she was tired, she went to bed early.

Reduced Adverb Clause of Cause and Effect:

  • Reduced Clause: Feeling tired, she went to bed early.

In this example, the adverb clause "Because she was tired" has been reduced to "Feeling tired" by using the present participle "feeling".

Full Adverb Clause of Cause and Effect:

  • Cause: Since we were getting wet
  • Effect: we decided to stay home.
  • Full Sentence: Since we were getting wet, we decided to stay home.

Reduced Adverb Clause of Cause and Effect:

  • Reduced Clause: Getting wet, we decided to stay home.

Here, the adverb clause "Since we were getting wet" has been reduced to "Getting wet" using the present participle.

Full Adverb Clause of Cause and Effect:

  • Cause: As he had finished his work
  • Effect: he left the office.
  • Full Sentence: As he had finished his work, he left the office.

Reduced Adverb Clause of Cause and Effect:

  • Reduced Clause: Having finished his work, he left the office.

In this example, the adverb clause "As he had finished his work" has been reduced to "Having finished" using the present participle.

Remember that not all adverb clauses of cause and effect can be reduced. The reduction is only possible when the subject of the adverb clause and the main clause is the same. Also, the reduced clause usually comes at the beginning of the sentence, but it can also follow the main clause (She went to bed early, feeling tired).

Using reduced adverb clauses of cause and effect can make your writing more concise and fluid, but it's essential to ensure that the meaning remains clear. Practice incorporating reduced adverb clauses into your writing to become more proficient in using this language structure effectively.

Similar titles

All English books