Grammar · Clauses, Connectors & Sentence Style
Reduced Relative Clauses (-ing / -ed)
The ship which is hovering, or just the ship hovering? Learn how English shortens who and which clauses, with the film Arrival.
Grammar › Clauses, Connectors & Sentence Style › Reduced Relative Clauses
The rule in one sentenceWhen who, which or that + be starts a clause about a noun, you can often drop both words: use noun + -ing when the noun does the action, and noun + -ed when the action is done to the noun.
About the film
Arrival is a 2016 science-fiction drama directed by Denis Villeneuve. When twelve huge alien ships appear in different places around the world, a language expert called Louise Banks is asked by the US Army to help. Together with Ian Donnelly, a scientist working with the military, she enters the ship hovering above a field in Montana and tries to communicate with the creatures inside.
What does it do?
Clauses with who and which add useful information, but they can make a sentence heavy: the ship which is hovering above the field, the symbols which are written by the creatures. When the pronoun is the subject of its clause, English lets you remove it together with be, and the sentence becomes lighter without losing any meaning.
The ending depends on the direction of the action. If the noun is doing something, keep the -ing form: the ship hovering above the field. If something is being done to the noun, use the -ed form, or the irregular past participle: the symbols written by the creatures. Film reviews, news reports and subtitles use this shortcut all the time.
In the first two tiles, the noun is active: the ship hovers and the soldiers guard. In the last two, the noun receives the action: someone writes the symbols, and someone asks Louise. Ask yourself one question each time: is the noun doing it, or is it being done to the noun?
the soldiers watching the ship (the soldiers watch it)
the ship watched by the soldiers (someone watches the ship)
The same verb, turned round. The -ing form looks out from the person doing the action; the -ed form looks at the thing receiving it.
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
How to make it
noun + -ing — the noun does it
The scientists studying the ship work in a tent nearby.
Anyone not wearing a safety suit must stay outside.
not + verb-ingWho is the man standing next to Louise?
question + noun + verb-ingnoun + -ed — it is done to the noun
The ship, shaped like a giant shell, hangs in the air.
It is a language never heard before.
never / not + past participleIs this the message sent from the ship?
question + noun + past participleWhen to use each one
noun + -ing
noun + -ed
Words that help: doing or done?
There are no fixed signal words for this pattern, but some short forms appear again and again in reviews. Learn them as ready-made chunks.
noun + -ing → the noun does it
noun + -ed → it is done to the noun
Common mistakes
❌ The symbols writing by the creatures are circles.
✅ The symbols written by the creatures are circles.
The symbols don’t write anything; they are written, and by is a strong clue.
❌ The soldiers guarded the ship are nervous.
✅ The soldiers guarding the ship are nervous.
The soldiers do the guarding, so the short form needs -ing.
❌ The man who standing next to Louise is Ian.
✅ The man standing next to Louise is Ian.
Either keep who is or drop both words; who + -ing on its own is never correct.
❌ A camp building next to the ship is full of soldiers.
✅ A camp built next to the ship is full of soldiers.
The camp doesn’t build anything; someone built it, so use the past participle.
One more thing
This part is a little harder. You can come back to it later.
Being + past participle shows something happening right now. The simple -ed form often sounds finished, but adding being puts the passive action in progress, as if we are watching it happen. You can only shorten a clause in this way when the pronoun is its subject, so the film that we watched can lose that, but it can never become the film watching.
✅ the messages recorded by the team (already recorded)
✅ the messages being recorded by the team (being recorded at this moment)
News reporters love this form: Pictures being shown on television tonight come from Montana.
Practice: -ing or -ed?
Eight questions. Choose one answer. You get the answer, and why.
1. The ship ___ above the field is enormous.
The ship does the hovering, so use -ing.
2. The symbols ___ by the creatures look like circles.
The symbols are written by someone, so use the past participle.
3. Arrival is a film ___ by Denis Villeneuve.
The film is directed by him: by points to the -ed form.
4. The soldiers ___ the camp work day and night.
The soldiers do the guarding, so use -ing.
5. Louise is a language expert ___ to help the army.
Someone asks Louise, so the short form is asked.
6. The man ___ next to Louise is a scientist.
Drop both who and is, or keep both; never just one.
7. It is a film ___ on a short story by Ted Chiang.
The film is based on the story, so use the -ed form.
8. The messages ___ right now will be studied later.
The messages are being recorded, in progress and passive.
Your turn
Choose one ending. Then listen to your sentence.
Every sentence here is correct. The first frame uses -ing for what people were doing; the second uses -ed for what was done to the film. Say it out loud too!
Keep going
This film’s lesson
More lessons
Now hear it in the film
You have just learned reduced relative clauses with Arrival. Now hear the whole film explained in English.
The full listening episode on the same film — a slow, clear movie review with the language used in real speech, and a free transcript.
AdvancedEpisode 66Watch on YouTube