Using the Grammatical Ellipse

Using the Grammatical Ellipse

“But you’re missing words!”

“But everyone knows what they are.”

It’s a legit grammatical structure. Why the grammatical ellipse works and how to use it, today, in my How To column at Copyediting.com.Link to my columns on Copyediting.com

Mentioned: CMOS17 [5.229].

dog tugging on a toy in a person's hand
We use these constructions naturally when making commands: “Give it!” (Give the tuggy to me, puppy.)

Photo by Alan Levine, used under public domain license.

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