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I've never seen the following phrase structure before and I couldn't find any resources on Google:

"nor" + pronoun + pronoun

Context:

...and she just couldn't find me, nor I her.

Source: https://www.removeddit.com/r/Deathloop/comments/pou7mp/ai_julianna_help/

I have a few questions:

1. Is there a proper name for this type of sentence reduction?

2. Can the above be used in formal writing?

I would've written "...nor could I find her."

Some examples from formal texts would be nice.

3. Following the structure given in the context, would these also be correct?

"...and I just couldn't find him, nor he me." (nor could he find me)

"She went to Germany, and I park." (and I went to the park)

"He was watching TV, and I hamster cage." (and I was watching the hamster cage)

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  • @KateBunting What do you mean? "nor I her" in the context is just conjunction + noun + noun. "and I park" is also conjunction + noun + noun. They follow the same structure preceded by a comma.
    – NoName
    Commented Sep 18, 2021 at 17:52
  • There isn't a logical explanation; they are just things that a native speaker would never say. Commented Sep 18, 2021 at 18:15

1 Answer 1

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The general construction is referred to as gapping by The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language p1542:

‘Gapping’ is the name given to the construction where the medial segment of a clause is ellipted when anaphorically retrievable:

[81]

i Kim lives in Perth, Pat _ in Melbourne.

ii Tom will play the guitar and Mary _ sing.

iii A: I will now show you how to make clafouti. B: And I _ custard.

Nor is equivalent to 'and-not' or 'also-not' (p1310), and used in negative contexts.

The below are some examples of the construction being used in formal contexts.

They can not be expected to subsidise us, nor we them (House of Commons British Parliament; Mr Gerald Reynolds; 1965)

the Catholics understand that you can not trust them, nor they you, this fact is at the bottom of all your difficulties (House of Commons British Parliament; Viscount Howick; 1844)

We do not regard Commonwealth citizens as aliens; nor they us (House of Lords British Parliament; Mr Joseph Garner; 1971)

White House aides, adapting to his mellow managerial style, seldom prod the President, nor he them. Instead, Reagan waits for an amiable consensus to develop among his advisers, who work within the boundaries of Reagan's ideology. (Time Magazing; A View Without Hills or Valleys; Kurt Andersen; 1984)

When a man and wife have their minkuyu in the house they may not put their hands into such a container; the husband may not touch the wife's nkuyu, nor she his. (ACAD: African Arts; Northern Kongo ancestor figures; 1995 Spring)

Halpin and Beaumont do not enter Lamont's world, nor he theirs. (ACAD: Style; A postmodern challenge to reference-world construction: Gilbert Sorrentino's Mulligan Stew; Charles, Mayl 1995 Summer)

We'd used condoms for the entire three or four months we'd been seeing each other, so I was pretty sure he hadn't infected me -- nor I him. (MAG: Essence; Facing AIDS; Lewis-Thornton, Rae; 1994 December)

The first example under your third question is ok, but the other two are deficient in that they contain nominals (NPs lacking determiners) with common count singular nouns as head which cannot function as objects like Germany and TV do, so we must add a determiner.

*She went to Germany, and I (went to) park.

She went to Germany, and I the park.

*He was watching TV, and I (was watching) hamster cage.

He was watching TV, and I the hamster cage.

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