Mind The Gap: Ellipsis and Stylistic Variation in Spoken and Written English

We rarely speak or even write in the complete sentences that are often held to be the ideal form of linguistic communication. Language is in fact full of gaps as speakers and writers often communicate in situations which allow bits of language to be understood rather than expressed. This book examines this 'gappiness' of language, technically known as ellipsis, and provides an account of the different contexts, both linguistic and situational which affect its use.