Lesson 11 / Handout 11a


ELLIPSIS

= substitution by nothing; grammatical omission

- as with substitution, ellipsis may be nominal, verbal, or clausal


Match the three labels (1., 2., 3.) with the examples (a, b, c):

Positional categories of ellipsis:

3 categories of ellipsis according to where the ellipsis occurs within a construction:

1. INITIAL: the initial elements are ellipted

2. MEDIAL: medial elements are ellipted

3. FINAL: the final elements are ellipted

a) John owns a Volvo and Tom (owns) a BMW.


b) I’m happy if you are (happy).  I know that we haven’t yet set the record straight, but we will
(set the record straight).


c) (I) hope he’s there. (Of) course he’s here. (The) fact is I don’t know what to do. (I’m a) fraid
he won’t be there. (Do you) want a drink? (Have you) got any money? (I’m) sorry I couldn’t be
there. (I’ll) see you later.


Put the examples below (a – l) under the appropriate label (1., 2., 3.). There is always
„e.g.“               to indicate where an example (or possibly more examples) should occur:


1. NOMINAL ELLIPSIS = elliptical noun phrases;

- usually results from final ellipsis, i.e. heads and any postmodifiers tend to be ellipted;
omission of     the head of a noun phrase:

e.g.


2. VERBAL ELLIPSIS:

- the dominant type is final

- typically, the subject and operator (and perhaps other auxiliaries) remain, and the predication
is ellipted:

e.g.


-   another kind of verbal ellipsis omits everything except the lexical verb:

e.g.


3. CLAUSAL ELLIPSIS:

- involves ellipsis of the whole clause or the whole clause except for an introductory word:

e.g.


- a to-infinitive clause may be omitted if it functions as the complementation of a verb or
adjective.     An elliptical to-infinitive clause may consist of just the introductory unstressed
particle to:

e.g.


- in the negative, not is placed before to:

e.g.



Examples:

a) Somebody has hidden my notebook, but I don’t know who / why / where   .

b) Has she been crying? -  No, laughing.

c) She borrowed my pen, although I told her not to   .

d) Tomorrow’s meeting will have to be our first or our last   .

e) I’m happy if you are   .

f) If I could have bought a ticket, I would have   .

g) He had to admit that Sarah’s drawings were as good as his own   .

h) We’re bound to win the prize some day.  Yes, but when   ?

i) You can borrow my pen, if you want to   .

j) You will speak to whomever I tell you to   .

k) Tom will be playing, but I don’t think Martin will (be)   .

l) Somebody ought to help. Shall I ask Peter to   ?


References:

Greenbaum, S. and R. Quirk (1990) A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Harlow: Longman.
(Chapter 12, pp. 255-261)