Omitting “Be” in Dependent Clauses
So far in this lesson about dependent and independent clauses, you have seen examples of dependent clauses that work as adverbs, adjectives, and nouns. One type of adjective clauses uses the linking verb “be” and behaves a bit differently from other sentences.
For example, you can say either of the sentences below without any differences in meaning,
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The person who is responsible for finding filming locations for a movie is a “location scout” or “location manager.”
The person responsible for finding filming locations for a movie is a “location scout” or “location manager.”
Have you noticed that “who is” was omitted in the second sentence? Both sentences mean the same; however, in formal writing, you should omit the verb “be” in dependent clauses to create more concise sentences.
Example sentences omitting “be” in the dependent clause
Sentence 1: Students who are having difficulties should go to the Tutoring Center for additional assistance.
Better sentence: Students having difficulties should go to the Tutoring Center for additional assistance.
Sentence 2: Vegetables that are grown on local farms are fresher because they do not need to be shipped long distances.
Better sentence: Vegetables grown on local farms are fresher because they do not need to be shipped long distances.
Sentence 3: The politicians who are running in this year’s elections are having a hard time motivating people to vote for them.
Better sentence: The politicians running in this year’s elections are having a hard time motivating people to vote for them.
Sentence 4: The space probes that have been exploring Mars this year have made incredible discoveries.
Better sentence: The space probes exploring Mars this year have made incredible discoveries.
Placement of the Dependent Clause
Dependent clauses can often be placed before the main clause. Doing so adds focus to the dependent clause. This gives you a great deal of flexibility when writing.
For example, you can say,
The director of the company, who was a a well respected man among all employees, retired after 50 years with the company.
You can omit “who was” (which has the verb “be”),
The director, a well respected man among all employees, retired after 50 years with the company.
You can also start with the (reduced) adjective clause,
A well respected man among all employees, the director retired after 50 years with the company.
Examples of sentence-initial dependent clauses
Example Sentences 1
Cynthia Wong, a talented classical musician, performed at the presidential gala last night.
A talented classical musician, Cynthia Wong performed at the presidential gala last night.
Example Sentences 2
Professor Ecks, passionate educator with years of experience, has won the Instructor of the Year Award several times.
A passionate educator with years of experience, Professor Ecks has won the Instructor of the Year Award several times.
Example Sentences 3
Jay Stefansson, a lifelong career politician who has never lost an election, has just announced he is running for governor.
A lifelong career politician who has never lost an election,Jay Stefansson has just announced he is running for governor.
Note. Notice that, in the above sentence, there are actually two dependent clauses, “who is a lifelong politician” and “(a politician) who has never lost an election.”
Example Sentences 4
Claudia Toledo, trained as a journalist at the National News Network (NNN), has accepted a job as the president of a major news agency.
Trained as a journalist at the National News Network (NNN), Claudia Toledo has accepted a job as the president of a major news agency.
Assess Your Learning
Practice 1. Practice identifying the main clause.
Practice 2. Practice identifying the main clause in more complex sentences.
Practice 3. Practice combining ideas to build complex sentences with dependent clauses
Practice 4. Practice omitting the verb “be” in dependent clauses.