Guide to English grammar

5
Leaving out and replacing words

36 Summary

Avoiding repetition • 37
We sometimes leave out or replace words to avoid repeating them. The meaning must be clear from the context.

Leaving out words after the auxiliary • 38
Have you seen the film? -Yes, I have.

Leaving out an infinitive clause • 39
We didn't get the job finished, although we were hoping to.

Leaving out words after a question word • 40
This photo was taken years ago. I forget where.

Leaving out the verb • 41
Adrian chose a steak and Lucy spaghetti.

Leaving out words at the beginning of a sentence • 42
Enjoying yourself? (= Are you enjoying yourself?)

Patterns with so, neither etc • 43
I've seen the film. -So have I.
We were hoping to finish the job, but we didn't manage to do so.
Have you seen the film? -Yes, I think so.
You're in this photo, look. -Oh, so I am.
The economy is healthy now, but will it remain so?

Some other ways of avoiding repetition • 44
We need some matches. Have we got any?
I saw the film, but I didn't like it.

Special styles • 45
Words can be left out in special styles: in labels, newspaper headlines, instructions and postcards, and in note style.

NOTE
For patterns with a predicative adjective, e.g. although tired, • 199(5c).

37 Avoiding repetition

1 We sometimes leave out a word or phrase, or we replace it by another word such as a pronoun. Here is part of a real conversation in a shop.

CHOOSING A JACKET

Assistant: There's this rather nice rose pink, or two or three nice blues, burgundy, and here is one that's a very nice color. I can show it to you in the daylight. And this one runs at sixty-nine ninety-five.
Customer: Are they all the same price?
Assistant: Yes. These are cotton, the best cotton one can get. The best quality. And also a very nice green - I'm afraid I haven't the size fourteen.
Customer: It's a nice color though.
(from M. Underwood and P. Barr Listeners)

A practical guide to English grammar 38

When the customer went into the shop, she asked to look at jackets. While she and the assistant are looking at the jackets, there is no need to repeat the word jacket. It is clear from the situation what the topic of the conversation is.
... and here is one that's a very nice color. (= here is a jacket...)
I can show it to you in the daylight. (= ... show the jacket...)