ELLIPSIS AND SUBSTITUTION

ELLIPSIS AND SUBSTITUTION

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ELLIPSIS

REPLIES

We try to avoid repeating information that has just been given. - "What time are you arriving?" - "About ten"

AFTER "BUT", "AND" and "or"

Repeated words, subject or subject + auxiliary verb are often dropped in coordinate structures. - A knife and fork (= a knife and a fork) You CANNOT leave out the subject pronoun after "before", "after", "because", "when" and "while": - They locked the door before they left.

infinitives

We can use "to" instead of repeating a whole infinitive. - "Are you giving your boyfriend a surprise birthday party?" - "I hope to" Sometimes, we can leave out the whole infinitive, including "to": - Come when you want. (= when you want to come)

AT THE END OF A NOUN PHRASE

Sometimes it is possible to drop nouns after adjectives, noun modifiers and/or determiners: - "Do you want small or medium menu?" - "I want the small" (=small menu) - "Which shoes are you going to wear?" - "These" (=These shoes)

ELLIPSIS

REPEATED verb phrase OR ADJECTIVE AFTER THE SAME AUXILIARY

Auxiliaries are often used alone instead of full verbs. - "I haven't paid" - "I haven't either" (=I haven't paid either) - "I am bored" - "I am, too" - "Who's the driver?" - "I am" (= I am the driver) This type of ellipsis can include words that follow the verb phrase. - "I was planning to go to Moscow next week, but I can't "(=I can't go to Moscow next week) You can use a different auxiliary or modal verb from that used in the first part of the sentence: - I thought I would be able to go to the party tomorrow, but in fact I can't. - I know you've never learned to swim, but I really think you should have.

comparative structures with "as" and "than"

We can leave out words after "as" and "than" IF the meaning is clear: - The weather isn't as good as last year (=...as good as it was last year) - I found more blackberries than you (=...than you found)

at the beginning of a sentence

In INFORMAL SPEECH, unstressed words are often dropped at the beginning of a sentence, if the sentence is clear. - "Seen Lucy?" (=Have you seen Lucy?)

substitution

FOR NOUNS

ONE / ONES

We can use one to avoid repeating a singular countable noun, and ones to avoid repeating a plural noun. - "Do you need a pencil?" - "No, I've already got one"

FOR VERBS

do so

We can use "do so" (or "does so", "did so", "doing so", etc.) to avoid repeating a verb phrase: - If I can help, I'll be happy to do so" (= to help) You can also use "do it/do that" instead (MORE INFORMAL): - They told me to be quiet and I did it.

FOR clauseS

so / not / neither

Use "so" after certain verbs of thinking and speaking to avoid repeating a positive clause. The commonest use is with the verbs "assume, believe, expect, guess, hope, imagine, presume, suppose, say, tell sb, think, be afraid" and "it seems/appears": - "Are they coming?" - "I think so" If we want to avoid repeating a negative clause, we can use a positive verb + not or a negative verb + so: - "Did they leave a copy of the key?" - It doesn't seem so / It seems not" We can use so and neither + auxiliary + subject to avoid repeating a clause: - "I shouldn't take the offer, and neither should you (= and you shouldn't take the offer either)