An ELT Glossary : Ellipsis





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?


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.