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Grammar 43 - Avoiding Repetition - Omission
"Saurav brought snacks and soft drinks to the party and Anish food." - This sentence omits the phrase 'brought... to the party,' and so avoids repetition.

Grammar 43 - Avoiding Repetition - Omission

Avoiding repetition is very useful in making communication flow better. There are many ways in which repetition can be avoided, such as replacing words with pronouns. Most of what we studied in the previous two quizzes was replacing subjects. There is yet another way of avoiding repetition, which is by omitting certain words or phrases themselves, and this High English grammar quiz will show you how to do it.

Look at this sentence:

‘You ride my bike and I’ll ride Mustaq’s when he returns.’

Here we have omitted the word ‘bike’ when referring to Mustaq’s bike because in the context of the sentence ‘bike’ has been identified and there is no need to repeat it. Here's another example:

1 .
"Manish could have gone to the boxing match, but he didn't want to."
Which words have been omitted in the second part of the above sentence?
to the boxing match
boxing match
could have
go to the boxing match
The meaning is clear even without the omitted phrase. Manish does not want to do something which was stated in the first part of the sentence. The omitted phrase is not adding any additional meaning to the answer. In the other options only parts of the phrase are omitted which is incorrect
2 .
"Has Manav been rowing?"
"No, sailing."
Which words have been omitted in the reply to the first sentence?
has
Manav
he has been
Manav has
The answer without the omitted phrase is communicating that Manav is not rowing but sailing. The communication is clear without the omitted phrase and adding the omitted phrase is not necessarily adding any further information. In the other options only parts of the phrase are omitted which is incorrect
3 .
"Today Virat Kohli is leaving far more balls outside the off stump than he was in the past."
Which words have been omitted in the second part of the above sentence?
leaving
balls outside the off stump
outside the off stump
the off stump
The first part of the sentence makes a comparison with what Virat Kohli was doing earlier. Thus the entire phrase 'leaving balls outside the off stump' is left out. In the other options the main part 'leaving' is not left out
4 .
"Indians were speaking far less on mobile phones in 2005 than they are now."
Which words have been omitted in the second part of the above sentence?
Indians
Indians were
speaking
were
The sentence is about comparison of Indians speaking on mobile phones in 2005 and now, and hence we can leave out 'speaking' in the second part without taking away the essence of comparison. In the other options 'speaking' is not left out, which is the operative part
5 .
"I can teach you what I learnt."
"You needn't as I am not asking you to."
Which words have been omitted in the reply to the first sentence?
Teach me what you learnt
Teach
What you learnt
Teach what
The person in the first sentence says he/she wants to teach what he/she has learnt and that is what is being omitted because from the answer it is clear that the person replying does not want them to do so. In the other options only parts of the phrase are omitted which is incorrect
6 .
"Did you visit the pet shop?"
"No, I didn't."
Which words have been omitted in the reply to the first sentence?
visit the pet shop
visit the pet
the pet shop
the pet
Since the context is clear from the first sentence, the answer is able to omit 'visit the pet shop.' In the other options only parts of the phrase are omitted which is incorrect
7 .
"Saurav brought snacks and soft drinks to the party and Anish food."
Which words have been omitted in the second part of the above sentence?
to the party
and soft drinks
snacks
brought
The context of the sentence is talking about bringing something for the party and so 'brought' is the word that is missing. Despite its omission there is no doubt about what the sentence wants to convey. In the other options 'brought' is not left out, which is the action part
8 .
"What should they have done?"
"Told him the truth."
Which words have been omitted in the reply to the first sentence?
What
They should have
What should
They have
By adding the omitted phrase the sentence is not adding any further information and hence it can be omitted. In the other options only parts of the phrase are omitted which is incorrect
9 .
"He'll receive his degree but I don't know exactly when."
Which words have been omitted in the second part of the above sentence?
he'll receive his degree
receive his degree
don't know
exactly
Receiving a degree is the action being talked about and this is said in the first part of the sentence and there is no need to repeat it in the second part after 'when.' In the other options 'he'll receive his degree' is not left out, which is the action part
10 .
"A study revealed that people now spend more time by themselves than with friends."
Which words have been omitted in the second part of the above sentences?
study revealed
they spend
people
more time
'They spend' is a phrase describing the action of people in the context of the sentence. This is the phrase that is omitted and by omitting this phrase the import of the meaning is not lost. Adding it is not helping much and so it can be omitted. In the other options 'spend' is not left out, which is the action part
Author:  V T Narendra

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