Ellipsis

​Ellipsis

​Review of substitution

​For NPs and noun clauses:

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​Review of substitution

​For adverbials:

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​For VPs:

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Multiple Select

   Pass me a hammer.  I need ___ .

• a heavy one

• a heavy

• a one

• one heavy

Multiple Select

He thinks she's coming to the party but I ___ .

• think so

• don't

• don't think so

• think not

Multiple Choice

I liked the car so I bought it.

I liked the car so I bought one.

• same meaning

• different meaning

Multiple Choice

I'm sure you'll finish ___

• before I do 

• before I

• before I did 

• before I so 

Multiple Choice

He found out he had failed the exam. ___ upset him a lot.

• There

• They

• So

• This

​Overview

​Omitting Noun Phrases

Multiple Select

Which sentences have NPs omitted?

• Lucy went up to the counter and asked for a coffee

• We needed information about the interviewees' professions and about their educational background.

• That night she was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as she got into bed

• She writes for a magazine and he for a daily newspaper.

Multiple Select

Jones failed to complete the 400 meters because ___ a muscle.

• he tore

• tore

Multiple Select

Doris Lessing's new novel failed to make the shortlist, but most critics felt it ___ .

• should have done

• should have

Multiple Select

The president was unable to put through all the reforms that he had ___.

• wanted to put through

• wanted to

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Notes / Summary

In formal written styles, once may occur with clausal ellipsis:

Once inside the house, the three men were arrested immediately by police officers.

(Once they were inside the house ...)

Email messages and personal letters may often display ellipsis of initial elements, especially the pronoun I, indicating their status as something midway between written and informal spoken messages:

Hi, Anne. Just got back from a terrific conference in Stockholm.

Reduced clauses refer to incomplete clause structures where verbs are ellipted. Relative and adverbial clauses can be reduced to participles, infinitives and prepositional phrases.

Multiple Select

Select all sentences that are correct

• The invigilator came in and he sat down without acknowledging the candidates.

• The invigilator came in and sat down without acknowledging the candidates.

Multiple Select

Select all sentences that are correct

• The orchestra's temporary musician plays the piano much better than the usual pianist.

• The orchestra's temporary musician plays the piano much better than the usual pianist plays.

Multiple Select

Select all sentences that are correct

• It was thought that the suspect had also targeted a late-night shopper, but it transpired that he couldn't have.

• It was thought that the suspect had also targeted a late-night shopper, but it transpired that he couldn't have done it.

Multiple Select

Select all sentences that are correct

• The newcomers resented our presence at the celebrations and we resented.

• The newcomers resented our presence at the celebrations and we theirs.

Multiple Select

Select all sentences that are correct

• The tests didn't yield conclusive results, although they had been expected to.

• The tests didn't yield conclusive results, although they had been expected.

Multiple Select

Select all sentences that are correct

• The instructions explain clearly how to grow the plants but not when to grow them.

• The instructions explain clearly how to grow the plants but not when to.

​Complete the text with a punctuation sign or a word