Questions tagged [omissibility]
For questions about leaving out words or punctuation marks and how such omissions affect the meaning of clauses or sentences.
84
questions
1
vote
0answers
16 views
What happened to the missing object or objects in “for us to define as we see fit”? [migrated]
Reading through this paragraph, I wonder why the object to see is missing from as we see
fit, even though the interpretation remains natural and smooth without it:
In 1783, Goethe wrote, “Nature is ...
0
votes
0answers
38 views
When to omit the article before a noun?
I am confused about when one can omit the article "the"/"a" in front of a noun. Examples are
During (the) observation, it was noticed that ...
The results of (a) quantitative ...
0
votes
0answers
25 views
'Ordered' + object + past participle
Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage, page 852 reads
The construction ordered + object + past participle (often expressed
in the passive) is first recorded in 1781 in AmE ( These things were
...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
Is the sentence “we don't need to be what they want us to” correct without the “be” in the end?
The formal way to say the sentence would be "we don't need to be what they want us to be", but would it be acceptable and understandable in colloquial language (eg in a song) to say "we ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Comparing/Contrasting Adjectives with/without “the” and “one”
In terms of American English, I'm considering the following 3 options of comparing/contrasting adjectives. Are all of these okay?
The red dress is better than blue.
The red dress is better than the ...
0
votes
2answers
37 views
Adjective-Denoted Nationalities without “the”
I came across the following in the Wall Street Journal, as part of the main story (not the headline),
... Swiss voted narrowly against more hunting, by 52% to 48% ...
... Last year, Swiss voted on ...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
Omissibility of the definite article “the” before attributive modifiers of personal names in American English
Are both inclusion and omission of the definite article
the before personal names that have attributive
modifiers (nominal or adjectival or both) considered grammatical in Ameri...
0
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0answers
19 views
When is the omission of relative pronouns acceptable? [duplicate]
So I learned that I tend to forget and unconsciously omit relative pronouns from my sentences, because apart from the fact that the meaning of some clauses without them remain clear and obvious, I ...
0
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0answers
25 views
Could articles be omitted in descriptions of art?
Compiling brief descriptions of art objects, is it okay to make do mostly without articles? For instance (about an old coin),
Eagle under crown; shield featuring Moscow’s coat-of-arms on eagle’s
...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
omitting auxiliaries and articles in logs [closed]
Is it a widespread practice in logbooks and in written accounts of events in general to omit articles and auxiliaries? E.g.:
"Message received. Information read. Crew instructed. Complaints ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
Dropping “when” in an adverbial clause renders this sentence ungrammatical?
Please consider these sentences side by side:
When walking in a dark alley, you should be cautious.
When walking in a dark alley, be cautious.
Walking in a dark alley, be cautious.
Walking in a dark ...
0
votes
1answer
205 views
Have difficulty/difficulties (in) doing something
What is syntactically the -ing-phrase in both the versions with and without the preposition? For example in He has trouble [in] keeping things in perspective right now.
Secondly, does the latter ...
0
votes
1answer
26 views
Why in “think about/of” and “talk about” the “of” and “about” sometimes are omitted?
I sometimes see, more often of late, that in sentences like this:
There're less known but high performing currencies: think of Georgian Larry, Armenian Dram.
"of" or "about" get ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Is it grammatical with the omission of the clause?
I've heard many clauses like 'I don't know why', 'I know why' in lyrics in songs. In an indirect question clause, can I use a interrogative word without the following clause? E.g. 'I know how', 'I ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Is it correct to omit “be” verbs and conjunctions when reporting a sentence? [duplicate]
Can you say "Actor dead aged 44" instead of elaborately saying "Actor dies at age 44"?
0
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0answers
29 views
When two “be” verbs are used in one sentence, should the second be omitted?
For example
He is a teenager and [is] from South Sudan.
Is it necessary to delete the second "is" in parentheses?
2
votes
2answers
78 views
Do I need to repeat a verb in a second clause?
He will not only pass the exam but will also excel in sports.
He will not only pass the exam but also excel in sports.
Which one is correct?
0
votes
2answers
49 views
Omitting pronouns in conditional clauses
I have a dispute with an acquaintance over this sentence:
If [you're] looking for aliases that will be displayed in the help message, see the link above.
("you're" is omitted)
I'm pretty ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
omission of semantic subject
Toni Morrison began writing when she was in college, but she did not produce anything good enough to publish for many years. Her troubled marriage, divorce, and life as a single mother made it even ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views
“The place I was born” vs. “The place I was born in”
This is the place where I was born. [1]
I can omit where & keep the antecedent place :
This is the place I was born. [1a]
I can omit the antecedent place and keep the relative word where :
...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Omission of subject in tensed clause
I know the subject can be omitted in untensed clauses. But I've encountered with the following:
You spent more money than was intended to be spent.
Here, 'than' seems to be functioning like a ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Go fun the world - is it correct?
I want to know if 9Gag slogan "Go fun the world" is correct or not.
I know that it is ok to say "Let's go have fun" but the slogan above misses "have". Is it ok?
One more - is "word" addressee there? ...
0
votes
0answers
43 views
How do I omit part of part of a legal definition with an ellipsis?
I need to contract the below sentence (it was legalese that I have simplified) to just present (b), but need to indicate that (b) is not the only condition:
Ending on the earlier of (a) [occurrence]...
12
votes
3answers
884 views
What’s the long form corresponding to the short form “English Language & Usage”?
Am I right that ①English Language & Usage is the short
form either for ②English Language & Its Usage or else
for ③English Language & The Usage of It, rather than
for ④English Language ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views
When can I omit the auxiliary verb in Past Perfect…?
I've come across two examples of past-perfect in the textbook and was wondering if someone could please explain why the latter sentences still use 'had' and why it shouldn't be omitted:
1) When I ...
1
vote
0answers
135 views
Omitting Relative Pronoun and verb “be” [duplicate]
Could someone please explain, why the pronoun and the verb "be" are omitted in the following sentence?
"it allows communication even for people far away from each other"
Shouldn't this sentence be "...
5
votes
2answers
334 views
What do you call the sentence structure of “The X-er __, the Y-er __”?
Is there a term for a sentence in the form of "The ___, the ___"?
For example:
The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.
Further, is this a proper sentence? Is there an implied verb?...
4
votes
2answers
170 views
Omission of “is” in “She thought the study of Latin a waste of time.”
In The Elements of Style, the authors give this example:
She thought the study of Latin a waste of time.
I cannot understand why the verb is has been omitted. Should not this sentence be as:
...
8
votes
2answers
569 views
If it isn't [someone's name]!
"If it isn't [a name]!" can be used to show surprise when you bump into someone, but it is not a complete sentence. What is omitted (and understood) here?
I'd appreciate your help.
0
votes
0answers
83 views
Can you omit only a subject following “as long as?”
Can you leave a subject following “as long as” out, keeping the verb followed alive?
I can read it aloud for you as long as it is in English.
So you can watch any movies as long as they have ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
The “that” elimination problem
The sentence
I marveled that you chuckled that I said "juxtaposition".
suffers from "that" overload. We'd all agree.
It's easy to slim either 'that'. Hence either
I marveled you chuckled that I ...
5
votes
1answer
124 views
Since and for, where can they be omitted?
I’m well aware of the difference between ‘since’ and ‘for’. However I have a question.
Imagine I say ‘I’ve been working on the essay since Saturday’ or ‘I’ve been working on the essay for two days’. ...
0
votes
1answer
94 views
commas/ omitting “which is”
In the passage below, shouldn't the writer have included which is before the word championed, since it is in a non-defining clause?
In seeking to describe the origins of theater, one must rely ...
3
votes
3answers
199 views
Article before nouns in the appositive phrase?
Here are two examples:
Nobody creates post-apocalyptic flicks better than George Miller, the director of the Mad Max series.
Is the necessary before director, and can it be omitted?
The business ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
differentiate `to+verb` from `verb` in the context of a list
He gives wisdom and knowledge to enable his children to understand and see the invisible.
He gives wisdom and knowledge to enable his children to understand and to see the invisible.
Sometimes I ...
1
vote
1answer
679 views
How to omit lines when quoting a play
I am citing the play All My Sons in an essay I am writing.
I don't want to have a lot of unnecessary content in my quotes and I am not too familiar with quoting plays, so I want to ask how I should ...
2
votes
0answers
508 views
What do we call the process of dropping the subject at the beginning of a sentence?
In casual conversation I've been noticing this more and more in my own speaking as well as others. The subject will be missing from the beginning of the sentence and instead it's inferred as the ...
1
vote
1answer
221 views
Do I need to include “the” for each item in a text sequence
Can anyone please tell me that which is more appealing:
• My industrial collaborations at the national and the international levels.
• My industrial collaborations at the national and international ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
When can I omit the subject?
Can I omit the subject if it has been mentioned in a preceding sentence?
For example, is the phrase inside the parentheses necessary in the below?:
The sculpture A exhibits degradation at a ...
0
votes
0answers
46 views
Is it gramatically correct to omit the preposition “on” when talking about events occuring on a certain day? [duplicate]
I'm taking this online course on technical writing. It suggests that you can omit "on" from
The meeting happened on Monday
to turn it to
The meeting happened Monday
The second one seems wrong ...
1
vote
2answers
66 views
Can I omit the “is” in “a lower price than is actually intended to be charged”? [closed]
I came across the following sentence when I looked up the meaning of "low-ball".
The low-ball is a persuasion and selling technique in which an item or service is offered at a lower price than is ...
2
votes
0answers
418 views
What do you think about “Sorry.” as a complete sentence? or What are your thoughts on subject omission? [duplicate]
I've been poring over materials on Japanese (日本語) and found it common of them to contrast the language with English in saying that pronominal subjects can be —and typically are, as with 私は (Watashi ha,...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
Confusion in the usage of the conjunction word “that”
I read an article on the National Geographic website:
In this sentence:
We reach the water and I try to swim – but the water is so salty I just float on the surface.
Cannot we use "that" ...
1
vote
0answers
64 views
Articles- Please remove card
Omission of articles is often, in my opinion, quite confusing, as they are often omitted in cases I'd find them needed. I know that some of it might just be for simplicity sake- teachers can't always ...
0
votes
3answers
4k views
Which Sunday do you prefer, if Sunday is OK with you?
Which Sunday do you prefer, if Sunday is OK with you?
Is the above sentence grammatically correct and natural? I'd like answers both from BrE and AmE speakers.
Sorry for my short, abrupt question. ...
0
votes
1answer
343 views
When can the relative pronouns “who”, “which”, “that” etc. be safely omitted? [closed]
For example, instead of
The guy who is beside me is a jerk
I can say
The guy beside me is a jerk.
It is okay if I don't use the relative pronoun here, either way is correct. But instead ...
1
vote
2answers
305 views
Using `but` as a conditional limit on a clause. Also implied or omitted `if`
I wanted to communicate the following with someone:
I would do this thing, if I could do it.
However, always trying to be clever and using amusing, possibly archaic grammar I wanted to type:
I ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Omit same verbs in list of clauses
First, I have to admit that I don't know a good term to refer to this case, nor do I have a concrete example. Everything is just from a vague memory. So if you can correct me or suggest a good ...
1
vote
0answers
56 views
Original form of this sentence : Our collection spans musical genres from rock and roll to opera, highlighting England's great artistic contributors
I think there is relative pronouns omitted in this sentence.
"Our collection spans musical genres from rock and roll to opera, highlighting England's great artistic contributors."
And What I want to ...
1
vote
0answers
201 views
the omission of so of so-that
In monarchical countries, the estates and the
greatest portion of the wealth are left to the first son, that the
vanity of the parent may be gratified by the thought that his name and
title are ...
