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Ellipsis

Updated: Nov 16

Ellipsis the rhetorical device is not the same as “ellipsis” the punctuation mark (. . .).  They both are used in the same sense, with an ellipsis being used to indicate elements that have been left out in a phrase, sentence, or paragraph. 


What is ellipsis?


Ellipsis is a rhetorical device that omits expected words. It helps make statements more concise and improves diction.


Here is an example of ellipsis from Emerson, The American Scholar (1837): 


Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst. 

Here both the subject and verb are left out in the dependent clause after the semicolon. This has the effect of making the sentence seem conversational. In short, the kind of natural speech rhythm and pattern that we expect in everyday speech is achieved with the proper use of ellipsis. 


Why writers use ellipsis


Ellipsis is used for a wide variety of reasons. Here is a quick look at them.


1. Involving the audience in an unfinished sentence or utterance. By omitting the ending of an utterance after giving enough context to ensure that the understands knows exactly how it will end, the audience will attain a closer emotional connection with the speaker. 


2. Surprise. Omitting words may come as a slight shock. This would result in greater emphasis being placed on the missing word or words. 


3. Style. Leaving out words can result in a stylish effect. In some cases, this may be brevity and elegance. This is the case with the previous quote from Emerson. This is especially true as the assumption is made that the reader or listener is intelligent enough to fill out the missing words by themselves. 


4. Making connections between sentences. Ellipsis often occurs when a later element (phrase or sentence) borrows a word from an earlier one. This makes the sentences closer and fit in more nicely with each other. 

Examples of ellipsis


Paine, The American Crisis (1783): 


In short, had you cast about for a plan on purpose to enrich your enemies, you could not have hit upon a better.

In this quote by Paine, the word “plan” is left out at the end of the sentence. 


Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds (1873):


To be alone with the girl to whom he is not engaged, is a man's delight; — to be alone with the man to whom she is engaged is the woman's.

Here, Trollope is taking advantage of the stylistic effect of an ellipsis to achieve brevity and humor. 


Julius Caesar, 3, I:


Afire drives out fire, so pity pity. . . . 

King Lear, 2, 1: 


By his authority I will proclaim it,

That he which finds him shall deserve our thanks,

Bringing the murderous coward to the stake;

He that conceals him, death.


In both of the quotes by Shakespeare, the verb is omitted to achieve a stylistic effect and to create emphasis, especially in the case of the last line in the King Lear quote. 


In some cases both the subject and the verb may be omitted, as in the following examples presented below: 


Lamb, letter to Wordsworth (1830):


Here we have nothing to do with our victuals but to eat them, with the garden but to see it grow, with the tax-gatherer but to hear him knock, with the maid but to hear her scolded.

References


Farnsworth, W. (2010). Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric. David R. Godine. 


 

Cite this EminentEdit Article

Antoine, M. (2024, October 08). Ellipsis. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/ellipsis


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