Questions tagged [omissibility]
For questions about leaving out words or punctuation marks and how such omissions affect the meaning of clauses or sentences.
94
questions
2
votes
0
answers
54
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"The exam sheet should only be used to write answers (on)"
Do I need the prepositions in these sentences?
The exam sheet should only be used to write answers (on).
The blanks should only be used to write answers (in).
The equipment should only be used to ...
- 339
0
votes
0
answers
39
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Omitting the verb in non-parallel clauses
I've seen this sentence in a textbook and it sounds unnatural to me.
It was the Ottomans who were developed and Western Europe underdeveloped.
I feel like the omission might have been correct If the ...
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4
votes
1
answer
542
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Is it grammatical to leave out the "and" in "try and do"? [closed]
The motivational example sentence for this question turns out to be a typo. Nonetheless I think it triggered valuable discussions.
I came across this sentence from NYT today:
... Mr. Xi met with ...
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1
vote
2
answers
53
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When is it appropriate to omit both articles and prepositions together?
I am working on a localisation issue within a project, but I cannot figure out through any of my searches and reference texts if there is a particular set of rules surrounding the omission of articles ...
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0
votes
0
answers
42
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Omitting a pronoun from a cleft sentence
I believe this is
a cleft sentence:
It was 10:18 ᴀᴍ when it happened.
However, I cannot explain why the pronoun when can’t
be removed when you rewrite that sentence into this one:
When it (=the ...
1
vote
1
answer
67
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Is "why" implied after "explain" in this context? [closed]
Suppose that we asked to "explain the trend" in the following graph:
Would it be appropriate to just describe the trend (i.e. something along the lines of "it first increases, and then ...
- 319
0
votes
2
answers
69
views
“The difficulty is we need” vs. “The difficulty is ᴛʜᴀᴛ we need”
Is there a right or wrong answer in the following construction? Am
I missing a more elegant way to say this?
The main difficulty in the hiring process is we need a fluent
French speaker that also ...
- 101
0
votes
3
answers
45
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Is "personal usage requires the user provision the device" correct? The bare infinitive v the to-infinitive
I've come across this sentence in a piece of technical documentation:
Disabling personal usage requires the user provision the device as a
fully managed device.
In my opinion this sentence is ...
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1
vote
0
answers
61
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Could "being" be omitted in "spend time (being) someone"?
I came across a sentence in Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence that I don't quite comprehend:
They may spend their whole lives aliens among their kindred, and remain aloof among the only scenes they ...
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0
votes
1
answer
53
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The "-ing" form of a verb and indefinite article [closed]
If celebrities visit public places, such as malls and bars, people
will crowd them demanding for a picture or autograph.
1: Why did the writer use the "-ing" form of the verb "demand&...
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1
vote
2
answers
1k
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"They are" or "that they are"? [duplicate]
It's clear they are honest.
vs.
It's clear that they are honest.
Is there a difference? Is one more correct than the other?
- 586
0
votes
0
answers
52
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'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
...
- 2,343
1
vote
0
answers
38
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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
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0
answers
28
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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 ...
- 197
0
votes
2
answers
49
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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 ...
- 197
4
votes
1
answer
228
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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...
- 197
0
votes
0
answers
31
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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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0
answers
28
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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
...
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0
votes
1
answer
37
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 ...
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0
votes
1
answer
29
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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 ...
- 133
0
votes
1
answer
645
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 ...
- 2,343
0
votes
1
answer
38
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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
1
answer
35
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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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0
answers
34
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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?
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2
votes
2
answers
337
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?
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0
votes
2
answers
102
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
1
answer
93
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 ...
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0
votes
3
answers
3k
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
1
answer
44
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
1
answer
91
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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? ...
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votes
0
answers
54
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]...
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13
votes
3
answers
988
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 ...
- 298
1
vote
1
answer
291
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 ...
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1
vote
0
answers
279
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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 "...
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5
votes
2
answers
463
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?...
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4
votes
2
answers
203
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:
...
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9
votes
2
answers
954
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.
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0
votes
3
answers
126
views
What is the grammatical topic of this shortening technique?
Extracted from an English cloze test:
.....these virtual selves exist in the same online spaces that many people use every day. And this is a new and unfamiliar phenomenon that some people might ...
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0
votes
0
answers
102
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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 ...
- 204
2
votes
1
answer
88
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 ...
- 121
5
votes
1
answer
154
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
1
answer
108
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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 ...
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3
votes
3
answers
337
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
1
answer
47
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
1
answer
1k
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 ...
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2
votes
0
answers
818
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 ...
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1
vote
1
answer
332
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 ...
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0
votes
1
answer
1k
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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 ...
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votes
0
answers
59
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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 ...
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1
vote
2
answers
75
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 ...
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