Shorter describing clauses: the boy playing football

Short answer: You can shorten a describing clause by dropping who is or which is before an -ing word, and which was before a past participle. The boy who is playing football becomes the boy playing football. The cake which was made by Mom becomes the cake made by Mom. The long form is always correct; the short form just uses fewer words.

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At a glance

In short

• Drop who is / which is before -ing.
• Drop which was before a past participle.
• Never keep who or which with a bare -ing word.

What is the rule for “Shorter describing clauses: the boy playing”?

The rule

who is / which is + -ing, or which was + past participle, can be dropped.

How it looks

the boy who is playing → the boy playing · the cake which was made by Mom → the cake made by Mom

What it means

The short form says the same with fewer words.

When to use it

Use it to say which person or thing you mean.

How it works

• Find a describing clause with who is, which is or which was.
• If it is followed by an -ing word, you can drop who is or which is.
• If it is followed by a past participle (made, drawn, written), you can drop which was.
• Never keep who or which with only the bare -ing word: not the boy who playing.

Examples of “Shorter describing clauses: the boy playing”

• The man sitting near the door is my uncle.
  He is sitting: -ing.
• The pictures drawn by Lan are on the wall.
  Lan drew them: drawn.
• The dog sleeping under the tree is mine.
  The dog is sleeping: -ing.
• The letter written by Dad is on the table.
  Dad wrote it: written.
• The girl sitting next to me is my cousin.
  who is sitting → sitting.
• The books written by that author are popular.
  which were written → written.
• The man standing at the gate is the guard.
  who is standing → standing.
• The houses built last year are modern.
  which were built → built.

Common mistakes with “Shorter describing clauses: the boy playing”

• The boy who playing football is my brother. → The boy playing football is my brother.
  Drop who is, or keep it: who is playing.
• The cake making by Mom is delicious. → The cake made by Mom is delicious.
  The cake was made: the past participle.
• The man sat near the door is my uncle. → The man sitting near the door is my uncle.
  He is sitting now: the -ing word.
• The students sitting at the back is noisy. → The students sitting at the back are noisy.
  The verb matches the noun students: are.
• The tree planting last year is tall. → The tree planted last year is tall.
  A tree is planted. Use the past participle.

Exceptions: watch out

• Full clause is fine
  The long form is always right: the boy who is playing football. The short form is just shorter.

Full clause or short form?

Both forms are correct. The short form is common in writing, but the full clause is clearer if you are not sure.

See also: Shorter time clauses: before eating

Check yourself

1. Shorten: “The dog which is sleeping under the tree is mine.”
   Show the answer

   The dog sleeping under the tree is mine. Drop which is.

2. Shorten: “The cake which was made by Mom is good.”
   Show the answer

   The cake made by Mom is good. Drop which was.

3. Fix: “The boy who playing football is my brother.”
   Show the answer

   The boy playing football is my brother. Drop who is, or keep it: who is playing.

How to practice “Shorter describing clauses: the boy playing”

The interactive version adds step-by-step help, spoken instructions and a quick check. One rule card, one sound lesson and the first lesson of every stone are free to try; the rest is part of Full Access. See Full Access.

• Practice lesson: Shorter describing clauses: the boy playing, the cake made by

Questions

Can I shorten every describing clause?

No. You can shorten only clauses with who is, which is, who was or which was before an -ing word or a past participle.

What is a past participle?

The third form of a verb: make, made, made; draw, drew, drawn; write, wrote, written.

Does the short form change the meaning?

No. It says the same thing with fewer words.

More Texts and Talk rules

• Have you ever …? Experience: have / has + the past form tells about something you did (or never did) in your life, up to now.
• already, yet, just: already, yet and just go with have / has and tell about things that happened a short time ago.
• Present perfect or past simple?: A finished time (yesterday, last week) needs the past simple. Experience up to now needs have + the past form.
• Advice and rules: should, must, have to: should gives advice. must and have to give rules. After them, use the plain action word.
• unless: unless means if not. It says what could stop something.
• as … as, and comparing actions: as … as says two things are the same. not as … as says one is less. For actions use faster or more carefully.

Used in these writing topics

• Shorter describing clauses

Part of the 📘 Grammar tool. Level G6: Texts and Talk. Đọc bằng tiếng Việt.

Written for English learners by the English for Fun team. How we write our lessons · Last updated 2026-11-05.

Reviewed by Chinh Q. Hoang, PhD, founder, English for Fun · 2026-10-30

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