Grammar 43 - Avoiding Repetition - Omission

‘Do you visit the gym often?'
'No, I can’t afford to.’

Here we have omitted the phrase ‘visit the gym often’ after ‘to’ in the answer to the question posed. Note that the meaning is clear in both examples even though we have omitted words or phrases.

Omitting words or phrases is useful when we describe something in a single sentence or when there is an answer to a question posed. Since the reference to context is immediate it is easier to omit words or phrases without losing the meaning to be conveyed.

Often, omission is resorted to when we compare two subjects, places, things or ideas. For instance, in this example:

‘They often go to the movies. A lot of people do these days.’

Here ‘go to the movies’ is omitted and ‘do’ is used instead. Note that we are making a generalised statement from information gathered about an activity and it becomes easier to omit certain words or phrases without taking away the meaning.

Avoiding repetition by omitting certain words or phrases is easy when you know how. Just make sure that what you are communicating will not be misunderstood by the listener or the reader! The quiz that follows takes you through the nuances of writing sentences by avoiding repetition.