Developing cohesion
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Ellipsis | page 2 of 11 |
Different types of ellipsis
Ellipsis is particularly common in casual speech and informal writing styles and can take
a variety of forms:
Clause-initial ellipsis
A: Right I'll see you later. B: [^] See you later on then. (Bank of English) B: [I'll] See you later on then.
Ellipsis of whole clauses
A: Does she love you enough to live with you for the rest of her life? B: I just don't know [^]. (Bank of English) B: I just don't know [if she loves me enough to live with me for the rest of my life].
Ellipsis in wh-clauses
Something will follow in the autumn - but don't ask me what [^].
(Bank of English)
Something will follow in the autumn - but don't ask me what [will follow in the autumn].
Ellipsis in to-infinitive clauses
Would you cut off someone's leg if they asked you [^]? (Bank of English)
Would you cut off someone's leg if they asked you [to cut off their leg]?
Ellipsis in comparative clauses
We are a part of nature no less than other creatures [^]. (Bank of English)
We are a part of nature no less than other creatures [are a part of nature].
Ellipsis in non-finite clauses
Robinson was decidedly pragmatic when [^] asked about leaving the old ball park. (Bank of English)
Robinson was decidedly pragmatic when [he was] asked about leaving the old ball park.
Quasi-ellipsis with do
I'm hitting the ball further than I did [^] 10 years ago. (Bank of English)
I'm hitting the ball further than I [hit the ball] 10 years ago.
Forward-looking ellipsis
"This is a color TV," the blind man said. "Don't ask me how [^], but I can tell." (Bank of English)
"This is a color TV," the blind man said. "Don't ask me how [I can tell], but I can tell."
Each of these types of ellipsis is explained in more detail in the following pages.
Introduction
Different types of ellipsis
