Ellipsis refers to the omission of words from a phrase. They can be omitted because they're understood from the context. Ellipsis is especially common in verb phrases. Here are examples of ellipsis:
Carl can play the violin and Rose can play the harp.
Carl can play the violin and Rose the harp.
Should I call you or should you call me?
Should I call you or you me?
The employee who wanted to quit did quit.
The employee who wanted to quit did.
When does the tournament start? The tournament starts tomorrow.
When does the tournament start? Tomorrow.
I saw Peter's house and you saw Julie's house.
I saw Peter's house and you saw Julie's.
Ellipsis helps to avoid redundancy. It's possible because context clues clarify the meaning. Ellipsis is very common in all languages.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
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