Joy English
Joy English

C2 Grammar

C2Cohesion25 min

Ellipsis and substitution in discourse

Avoid repetition with so, not, one, do so and reduced clauses, and know which omissions sound natural.

Fluent speakers and writers avoid repeating words that the listener can easily supply. Ellipsis leaves the words out. Substitution replaces them with a short form such as so, not, one, do so or the same. Both devices make a text cohesive, but only certain words can be left out.

DeviceExampleFull form
Infinitive without its verbYou can stay if you want to.... want to stay.
so / not after think, hope, suspect, be afraidWill it rain? I'm afraid so / not.... afraid that it will / will not.
if so / if notIf not, we shall cancel.If it is not approved, ...
one / onesHe bought a new one.... a new laptop.
do so, do the sameShe resigned, and he did the same.... he resigned.
than + reduced clauseIt went better than expected.... than it was expected to.
reduced time clauseWhen asked, she refused.When she was asked, ...
so / neither / nor + auxiliaryThe staff agreed, and so did the chair.... the chair agreed too.

Note the difference between Neither did I, Nor did I and So did I: the first two follow a negative statement, and the last follows a positive one. After than, both the reduced form (than expected) and the full form (than was expected) are correct, but a reduced clause is more common in formal writing.

  • Will the funding be approved? If not, we shall cancel the trip.
  • Some students took notes by hand and others typed them.
  • The committee has not met, nor is it expected to before May.
  • I wanted to attend but wasn't able to.
  • When asked about the delay, the manager said she had not been told.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the correct form

Choose the option that completes each sentence correctly.

  1. Are the results ready? I don't think _____; the lab is still running tests.

  2. Will the funding be approved? If _____, we shall have to cancel the trip.

  3. The first draft was weak, but the second was far better than _____.

  4. Kofi's old laptop kept crashing, so he bought a new _____.

  5. She promised to call, but she never _____.

  6. The delegates welcomed the proposal, and _____ did the chair.

  7. When _____ about the delay, the manager said she had not been told.

  8. "Would you like to join us?" "I'd love _____ , but I have an exam tomorrow."

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Complete the sentence

Type the missing word. Use a single word unless the sentence needs more.

  1. Lena offered to help, and her brother did .

  2. Are there any seats left? I'm afraid ; the hall is full.

  3. The old system was slower than necessary.

  4. You can stay if you to, but nobody expects it.

  5. I wanted to attend the lecture but wasn't able .

  6. Ravi booked the larger room; Aiko preferred the small .

  7. The committee has not yet met, nor it expected to do so before May.

  8. Some students took notes by hand and typed them.

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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