| Definition : The omission of one or more words from a sentence or utterance because they can be understood from the linguistic or situational context. Examples : - in Want a biscuit? the words Do you are ellipted. The intonation of the utterance makes it clear that a question is intended, so that grammatical marking becomes redundant - compare it with the intonation that would be used if a small child demanded a biscuit saying Want a biscuit! Again ellipsis is involved (of the subject I) but the context and intonation leaves the listener in no doubt as to what is intended. This is an example of ellipsis in spoken English, but it is also common in written English - for example in the following text message, all rhe non-essential grammatical words have been ellipted, leaving only the lexical items: Train late again. Signals not working. Home as soon as possible. The reader's knowledge of grammar allows them to "fill in the gaps". - in He got up and walked out the word he is ellipted in the second clause. Again, the listener/reader's knowledge of grammar tells them that if a verb in a second co-ordinated clause has no explicit subject, it will be the same as that in the first clause. - in The man I spoke to was not very helpful the relative pronoun who is ellipted. This can be done only when the relative pronoun replaces the object or complement of the clause, not when it replaces the subject - eg it is not possible in The man who spoke to me was not very helpful. - in The second person interviewed got the job both the relative pronoun and the verb BE are ellipted (the second person who was interviewed...) forming a reduced relative clause. Test Yourself... The
following are extracts from Brotton, J. (2012) A History
of the World in Twelve Maps, Penguin, pp, 218-219. Can you
identify the ellipted elements in each? Try, and then scroll down for the answers. Section
One The
arrests began in the February of 1544. During the previous weeks, a list of
fifty-two names had been drafted in Louvain by Pierre Dufeif, the
procurer-general of Brabant. Dufeif had already established his credentials as
a fiercely conservative theologian for his interrogation and execution of the
English exile and religious reformer William Tyndale, who had been charged with
heresy, condemned, then strangled and burnt at the stake near Brussels in 1536. Section
Two Forty-three
of the names on Dufief's list came from Louvain, the rest from cities and towns
- Brussels, Antwerp, Groenendael, Engien - all within a fifty kilometre radius.
The list included people from all walks of life - priests, artists, and
scholars, as well as cobblers,tailors, midwives and widows, - all united by the
accusation of "heresy". Over the next few days, Dufief's bailiffs
began to round up the accused. Section
Three Ever since
the Habsburg emperor Charles V had inherited the Low Countries from his
Burgundian ancestors in 1519, this fiercely independent patchwork of cities and
municipalities had refused to accept what it regarded as the centralization of
government and taxation by a foreign power, which ruled through
governors-general based in Brussels. Four years before the arrests of 1544,
Ghent refused to contribute to the Habsburg war effort against neighbouring
France.
Answer - Section 1 In this first paragraph the words I've put in brackets below are
ellipted : ... for his interrogation and (his) execution of the English exile and
religious reformer William Tyndale, who had been charged with heresy, (who had been) condemned, (who had) then (been) strangled
and (who had been) burnt
at the stake near Brussels in 1536. The rule is : when there is a co-ordinating conjunction in the
sentence (here and), any textual
items which are the same in subsequent phrases and clauses as in the first may
be ellipted. So here, once his has
been included in the first noun phrase, it can be ellipted in the second.
Similarly, after "who had
been" has been said once, it can be ellipted in the subsequent four
clauses.
Answer - Section 2 Here's the paragraph again with the ellipted words
indicated. What are they? Did you spot them all in your own answer? Forty-three of the names ----- ------ on Dufief's list came from Louvain, ---- the rest ----- ------ -------- ----- from cities and towns - Brussels, Antwerp, Groenendael, Engien - all ---- ----- ----- within a fifty kilometre radius ---- ------. The list included people ------ ------ from all walks of life - priests, artists, and scholars, as well as cobblers,tailors, midwives and widows, - ------ ----- all united by the accusation of "heresy". Over the next few days, Dufief's bailiffs began to round up the -------- ------- -------- accused. a. Forty-three
of the names which were on
Dufief's list… This is a reduced relative clause – one where both the relative
pronoun and the verb BE have been omitted. The relative pronoun can be omitted
because it acts as subject in the defining relative clause.
b. …came from Louvain, and the rest of the
names came from cities
and towns… i) Here, the co-ordinating conjunction and has been omitted,
making this an example of parataxis. However, the fact that it is understood as being there “virtually” means the same
rule concerning ellipsis in compounded clauses as in paragraph (1) above can be
applied, and came does not
need to be repeated in the second clause. ii) of the names
is obvious from the context and can therefore be omitted
c. Brussels,
Antwerp, Groenendael, Engien - all of
which were within a fifty kilometre radius Again, there is a reduced relative clause here (with omission of
the relative subject pronoun and verb BE). The quantifier all can be used with
or without of in front of a noun (all the cities or all of the cities) though it is necessary in front of a pronoun (all of them but not *all them) and the ellipsis of the
relative pronoun means that the version without of is chosen.
d. within a
fifty kilometre radius of Louvain Here of Louvain is
inferable from the context and the phrase is therefore ellipted to make the
text more concise.
e. The list
included people who were from
all walks of life - priests, artists, and scholars, as well as cobblers, tailors,
midwives and widows - who were
all united by the accusation of "heresy". Two more examples of a
reduced relative clause – again used to make the text more concise. An alternative for the second, given the use
of the dash, would be …and widows – all (of)
these people united by… , following the rule for the use of all stated above
f. Over the
next few days, Dufief's bailiffs began to round up the people who were accused. The accused is an example of an adjectival noun (definite
article + adjective) which can always be used as a more concise version of people + who + be + adjective. Another
example: I think the rich should
pay higher taxes = I think people who are rich should pay higher taxes
Answer - Section 3 Here the ellipted items were : Ever since the Habsburg emperor Charles the1 V
had inherited the Low Countries from his Burgundian ancestors in 1519, this
fiercely independent patchwork of cities and municipalities had refused to
accept what it regarded as the centralization of government and taxation which was imposed 2 by a foreign power, which ruled through
governors-general who
were 3 based in Brussels. Four years before the
arrests of 1544, Ghent refused to contribute to the Habsburg war effort which was being waged 4
against neighbouring France.
1) The article “ the” is omitted as it is obvious from the reader’s
knowledge of the English language that it would be there in spoken text. 3) A reduced relative clause – see the explanation for section 2. 2 and 4) Again these are reduced relative clauses, but in addition
the lexical verb has also been ellipted as its meaning is obvious from the
context and can easily be inferred (generally unconsciously) by the reader. |
An ELT Glossary : Ellipsis
