Elliptical sentences - what is it?

1861 year. The novel Les Miserables is written. Victor Hugo sends the publisher a manuscript of the novel with the following cover letter: “?” The answer came immediately: “!” ... Of course, the elliptical (incomplete) sentences that will be discussed in this article are not so short, but no less dynamic, vibrant and emotionally rich. This once again confirms the fact that brevity is the sister of talent. So, for today, elliptical sentences are our "hero", our main character who is confused with other, equally important characters - incomplete sentences. Elliptical sentences mistakenly consider them a variety, but in modern linguistics they are considered separately. They are really easy to confuse. What are their differences? Let's figure it out ....

Elliptical and incomplete sentences

Incomplete proposals are those that do not have primary or secondary members. But they are easy to understand, restore due to the speech situation. For example, in the sentence “This fertilizer is necessary for raspberries, now for blackcurrant, now for apple” only in the first part the grammatical basis is not broken . In the second and third parts, the main members of the sentence - “fertilizer is necessary” - are omitted, but they are clear from the context, so they can safely be called incomplete.

Most often, such sentences are used in colloquial speech, in dialogs and in descriptions. Elliptical sentences are a special type of sentences, in the structure of which there is only a predicate expressed by a verb. To recreate an action or to get an idea of ​​a condition, the context is not needed: “The seller - after him, loudly: - Come again!”; "In the dark sky - billions of bright stars." In the above examples, the verbs “said” and “are” are omitted. They are easy to understand, but not from the situation, but thanks to the whole structure as a whole. It follows that, despite the formal absence of the main members, they take an active part in constructing the proposal, and this brings elliptical sentences closer to incomplete ones. In other words, incomplete and elliptic sentences are similar only in one thing - in the structure of construction, in the absence of one of the members of the sentence. However, the incompleteness of the first is random and depends on how the text is built, and the incompleteness of the second is its norm, its feature. The table below summarizes the above and helps not to confuse these concepts:

Incomplete and elliptic sentences, examples

Incomplete		Elliptical
The meaning of the proposal is complete, understandable
Understood only by context or situation		Clear regardless of context or speech
Missing offer members
Major and minor, which are restored thanks to		Only a verb-predicate, the absence of which is the norm; its meaning is suggested by the structure and content of the proposal itself
context	speech situation
The missing member of a sentence has already been named, usually in one part of a complex sentence: In one hand he held a book, and in the other a pointer. The missing members are the same as in the previous dialogue replica: “You deceived and betrayed him?” - No, he is me.	1. It is raining outside. I put on rubber. (The situation suggests that we are talking about boots). 2. We must knock quietly and ask: Can I? (A person usually pronounces this phrase when he enters the room)	1. Motivational suggestions: Hurry up! All come here! 2. The verb-predicate with the meaning of being, presence, perception: Above the city is a thick white fog; In the hands of an armful of wildflowers. 3. The predicate verb with the meaning of thought, speech: I - the word to him, and he to me - ten. 4. Verb-predicate with the meaning of movement, movement: Boy in the forest, and she - behind him. 5. The predicate verb with the meaning of vigorous action, such as throw, hit, grab: They began to mend justice: someone for the hair, someone for the ears

Using elliptical sentences

In conclusion, I would like to say that expressive, spectacular, emotionally colored elliptical sentences are widely used both in colloquial speech and in literary works - in description, in narration, in dialogs. There are frequent cases of their use in public speaking. The most interesting cases are the use of ellipses in the headlines of newspapers and magazines. The most concise form, on the one hand, helps to save “in ink”, and on the other hand, uncommonly and brilliantly attracts a record number of readers: “Our children to our families”, “To freedom - with a clear conscience?”, “Salvation - to Testaments ”,“ Poetry - first of all ”,“ And behind the crusts - into the transition. ”