Skip to main content
Search type Search syntax
Tags [tag]
Exact "words here"
Author user:1234
user:me (yours)
Score score:3 (3+)
score:0 (none)
Answers answers:3 (3+)
answers:0 (none)
isaccepted:yes
hasaccepted:no
inquestion:1234
Views views:250
Code code:"if (foo != bar)"
Sections title:apples
body:"apples oranges"
URL url:"*.example.com"
Saves in:saves
Status closed:yes
duplicate:no
migrated:no
wiki:no
Types is:question
is:answer
Exclude -[tag]
-apples
For more details on advanced search visit our help page
Results for whiz deletion
Search options not deleted user 15299
33 votes
Accepted

What is a noun modifying clause?

The rule called Whiz-Deletion by linguists (from the fact that it deletes a Wh-word plus a form of be, quite often is; a monosyllabic variant of "Wh-is deletion"), when applied to a relative clause, creates … Interestingly, there is a codicil to Whiz-Deletion that applies when there is only one adjective left after deletion. …
John Lawler's user avatar
15 votes

passive Vs active or omission of 'which is'

The rule is called Whiz-Deletion. The name is a mnemonic. The Wh- part of Whiz-Deletion comes from the fact that relative pronouns start with wh-. … The -iz part of Whiz-Deletion comes from the fact that the most common form of be is is. The "Deletion" part of Whiz-Deletion means that these are the parts that are deleted. …
John Lawler's user avatar
13 votes
Accepted

Differences between Verb + to be + adjective and Verb + adjective

There is no specific rule saying when to perform this deletion; it's a matter of individual choice, like many other rules in English. … This rule (or app) is To-be-Deletion; a similar one for a different situation is Whiz-Deletion. …
John Lawler's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

"There are several reasons proposed for the collapse of the bridge."

This is another reduced relative clause, with Whiz-Deletion operating, this time on the be of the Passive, rather than the be of the Progressive, like the question this morning. … Whiz-deletion removes the boldfaced markers, since they are predictable (by native speakers, at least) and contribute nothing to the meaning, just the structure. …
John Lawler's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

What do you call a past participle+noun construction clause such as “No offense meant” “Your...

Given that, = Given that topic we just mentioned, There is no general term for rules that do this, like To be-Deletion, Whiz Deletion, Conjunction Reduction, Conversational Deletion, etc. … They are deletion rules, obviously, but far from the only ones. …
John Lawler's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

Meaning and usage of “be of”

That-deletion results in ... the planes she flew ... and Whiz-deletion results in ... the planes she flew were planes of dangerously experimental design. …
John Lawler's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

Passive auxiliary verb or progressive one?

be something like another funny noise, [which was] like a mouse [which was] being trodden on but both of the entirely predictable [which was] parts of these relative clauses have been deleted by Whiz-Deletion … The first (nonrestrictive) Whiz-deleted which was -- in the clause modifying noise -- contains just the normal auxiliary be required by the predicate adjective phrase like a mouse being trodden on. …
John Lawler's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Am I using "that" too often?

Complementizer deletion is one of a number of shortenings that English uses, like contractions (don't, we'll), informal spellings of new contractions, (hafta, shouldna), Whiz-Deletion, Equi and Raising …
John Lawler's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

Adjective clause with 'so'

is shortened by ordinary Whiz-Deletion from ... physical activity, which is so vital for the developing body, is often overlooked ... …
John Lawler's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

"The paper on Monday published X" vs. "the paper published on Monday X"

The second sentence has a small Garden Path, since The paper published on Monday would normally be interpreted as a constituent, an NP modified by a relative clause reduced by Whiz-deletion from: …
John Lawler's user avatar
6 votes

Skipping a relative pronoun

That is the effect of the syntactic rule mentioned above in comments, called Whiz-Deletion in the professional literature. …
John Lawler's user avatar
5 votes

Does English allow a zero copula in subordinate clauses?

A very simple example is Whiz-Deletion, which applies to restrictive relative clauses, and deletes (as I will call it) the subject relative pronoun (the "Wh-" part) plus whatever inflected form of be it … Verbs that allow to be-Deletion include declare, consider, and feel. He declared/considered/felt Max (to be) responsible for the accident. …
John Lawler's user avatar
5 votes

The position of "strong enough" in "there is no headache strong enough"

The which is part gets zapped by the usual Whiz-deletion, leaving only the predicate adjective phrase and its complement. …
John Lawler's user avatar
5 votes

Is "I already have two stamps drawn" grammatically correct?

This is reduced by Whiz-deletion to two stamps drawn, like I already have seven chapters finished. I already have three bags full. …
John Lawler's user avatar
5 votes

Can a preposition have the form of superlative?

The repeated NP the chair is deleted in context, leaving only nearest to them, which could be perfectly ordinary in a relative clause a voice spoke from the chair which was nearest to them And then Whiz-deletion
John Lawler's user avatar

15 30 50 per page