phrase ellipsis – English Grammar Profiler
Here’s a student example of verb phrase ellipsis:
You need to study hard to pass the test unless you don’t want to.
PELIC Arabic female level 4 grammar class
Although there are a number of grammar points in the English Grammar Profile to do with Ellipsis, there are none that cover the ellipsis of phrases before or after the ‘TO’ infinitive. Therefore, we turn to Pearson’s GSE 57 B1+:
- omit words and phrases in a range of parallel structures.
- ellipsis: omission of noun/verb/infinitive/’wh-‘ clauses EXAMPLES:
My parents expected me to go to college, but I didn’t want to.
We need money for the flight and to pay for the hotel.
We can’t cover all possibilities of this structure here. We will attempt to follow the two examples above. The best we can do with such long queries in iWeb is:
* * * _TO ._.
1 DON’T HAVE TO. 7123 2 IF YOU NEED TO. 6093 3 IF YOU WANT TO. 6072 4 DON’T WANT TO. 4269 5 DONT HAVE TO. 3921 6 YOU WANT IT TO. 3058 7 DONT WANT TO. 2399 8 IF YOU HAVE TO. 2302 9 WHEN YOU NEED TO. 2017 10 IF THEY WANT TO. 1861 11 IF YOU WANTED TO. 1751 12 DON’T NEED TO. 1634 13 YOU WANT THEM TO. 1623 14 IF THEY WANTED TO. 1405 15 IF I WANTED TO. 1383 16 IT’S SUPPOSED TO. 1160 17 IF I NEED TO. 1138 18 DIDN’T HAVE TO. 1112 19 IF I HAVE TO. 1093 20 AS YOU NEED TO. 1069 21 DIDN’T WANT TO. 1053 22 DOESN’T HAVE TO . 1016 23 DO NT NEED TO . 929 24 IT IS SUPPOSED TO . 895 25 IT WAS SUPPOSED TO . 889 26 THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO . 833 27 IF I WANT TO . 789 28 WAY YOU WANT TO . 786 29 YOU REALLY WANT TO . 758 30 EASY TO GET TO . 757 31 WHEN YOU WANT TO . 744 32 THAN YOU NEED TO . 738 33 I WANT IT TO . 731 34 WHEN I NEED TO . 695 35 IF HE WANTED TO . 690 36 WHENEVER YOU NEED TO . 663 37 IF THEY NEED TO . 639 38 DID N’T NEED TO . 627 39 DOES N’T WANT TO . 611 40 THAN YOU HAVE TO . 607 41 WHEN THEY NEED TO . 604 42 IF I HAD TO . 600 43 DOES NT HAVE TO . 594 44 UNLESS YOU WANT TO . 589 45 AS YOU WANT TO . 580 46 NOT BE ABLE TO . 559 47 DID NT HAVE TO . 535 48 DID NT WANT TO . 528 49 N’T BE ABLE TO . 522 50 DO NOT HAVE TO . 514 51 SHOULD BE ABLE TO . 503 52 IF WE WANTED TO . 491 53 I WOULD LIKE TO . 474 54 WO N’T HAVE TO . 473 55 THEY ‘RE SUPPOSED TO . 469 56 BECAUSE THEY WANT TO . 468 57 TO BE ABLE TO . 463 58 IF WE NEED TO . 460 59 IF YOU CHOOSE TO . 451 60 KNOW YOU WANT TO . 448 61 YOU WOULD LIKE TO . 444 62 WHENEVER YOU WANT TO . 435 63 THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO . 433 64 WHEN THEY WANT TO . 433 65 DOCTOR TELLS YOU TO . 427 66 WILL BE ABLE TO . 418 67 DO NOT WANT TO . 411 68 BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO . 410 69 YOU REALLY NEED TO . 403 70 N’T WANT IT TO . 382 71 IF YOU WISH TO . 378 72 NO REASON NOT TO . 377 73 WHEN I WANT TO . 375 74 SHOULD N’T HAVE TO . 374 75 IF WE WANT TO . 368 76 YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO . 367 77 YOU ARE ABLE TO . 359 78 IF HE WANTS TO . 349 79 WE WANT IT TO . 348 80 TO GET USED TO . 347 81 IF THEY CHOOSE TO . 345 82 DOES N’T NEED TO . 336 83 I ‘D LIKE TO . 334 84 UNLESS YOU HAVE TO . 333 85 SHOULD YOU NEED TO . 330 86 THAN THEY NEED TO . 322 87 HAVE BEEN ABLE TO . 308 88 IF WE HAVE TO . 308 89 IF I NEEDED TO . 307 90 AND WHEN NOT TO . 305 91 YOU ‘D LIKE TO . 301 92 THAT YOU WANT TO . 294 93 WE WANT THEM TO . 289 94 HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO . 288 95 AS THEY NEED TO . 286 96 I WANT THEM TO . 284 97 DID NT NEED TO . 276 98 FEEL THE NEED TO . 269 99 WAY THEY WANT TO . 268
100 WOULD BE ABLE TO . 266
* * _CC _TO *
1 MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER 1534 2 MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER 1259 3 MORE INFORMATION OR TO SCHEDULE 1201 4 MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE 1110 5 . AND TO BE 1017 6 . BUT TO BE 971 7 . AND TO MAKE 743 8 MORE INFORMATION OR TO APPLY 736 9 MORE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE 648 10 TO HAVE AND TO HOLD 634 11 MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY 563 12 AIR DATES AND TO STAY 506 13 . BUT TO GET 497 14 . BUT TO ANSWER 475 15 . AND TO TOP 475 16 . AND TO THINK 439 17 MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE 439 18 MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST 409 19 MORE INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE 396 20 TO WILL AND TO DO 385 21 MORE INFORMATION AND TO SEE 366 22 MORE INFORMATION OR TO SIGN 366 23 . AND TO ADD 359 24 . BUT TO MAKE 326 25 MORE INFORMATION OR TO ORDER 319 26 ) , AND TO BE 315 27 . AND TO ANSWER 314 28 MORE INFORMATION OR TO GET 312 29 . BUT TO DO 301 30 MORE INFORMATION AND TO DOWNLOAD 291 31 TO LOVE AND TO BE 274 32 ON TIME AND TO BUDGET 271 33 . OR TO PUT 270 34 MORE INFORMATION AND TO FIND 268 35 MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN 256 36 MORE INFORMATION OR TO RESERVE 251 37 INFORMATION , OR TO REGISTER 250 38 IT , AND TO BE 250 39 . AND TO HELP 245 40 INFORMATION , OR TO MAKE 239 41 , ” AND TO ” 234 42 MORE INFORMATION AND TO VIEW 232 43 TO SEEK AND TO SAVE 232 44 INFORMATION , OR TO SCHEDULE 225 45 MORE INFORMATION AND TO GET 225 46 ) , BUT TO BE 218 47 MORE INFORMATION AND TO MAKE 217 48 MORE INFORMATION OR TO SET 216 49 . BUT TO RETURN 214 50 MORE INFORMATION AND TO BUY 214 51 . ” BUT TO BE 202 52 MORE INFORMATION OR TO FIND 201 53 . BUT TO SAY 200 54 MORE INFORMATION OR TO PLACE 197 55 . ” AND TO BE 192 56 MORE INFORMATION AND TO SCHEDULE 191 57 ) , AND TO MAKE 188 58 MORE INFORMATION OR TO JOIN 185 59 ) , AND TO HAVE 184 60 TO EAT AND TO DRINK 184 61 . AND TO GET 182 62 FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE 182 63 ” BUT TO BE 180 64 THEM , AND TO BE 173 65 TIME , AND TO BE 172 66 IT , BUT TO BE 169 67 MORE INFORMATION AND TO RESERVE 166 68 TO LEARN AND TO GROW 164 69 . AND TO DO 158 70 MORE INFORMATION OR TO DONATE 158 71 MORE INFORMATION OR TO DISCUSS 157 72 LIFE , AND TO BE 156 73 INFORMATION , OR TO REQUEST 155 74 MORE INFORMATION OR TO SEE 155 75 MORE INFORMATION AND TO ORDER 144 76 , ” AND TO BE 142 77 INFORMATION , OR TO PURCHASE 141 78 WORLD , AND TO BE 141 79 MORE INFORMATION OR TO DOWNLOAD 135 80 IT , AND TO MAKE 132 81 MORE INFORMATION OR TO SPEAK 132 82 ) , AND TO PROVIDE 130 83 BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE 126 84 IT , AND TO DO 125 85 MORE INFORMATION OR TO ENROLL 124 86 THE WORLD AND TO BE 124 87 . AND TO FINISH 122 88 INFORMATION , OR TO ORDER 122 89 MORE DETAILS AND TO REGISTER 122 90 . BUT TO REALLY 120 91 . BUT TO UNDERSTAND 117 92 THEM , AND TO MAKE 117 93 . AND TO KEEP 116 94 FOR YOURSELF OR TO GIVE 116 95 MORE INFORMATION AND TO LEARN 115 96 N’T HELP BUT TO THINK 115 97 SALT , OR TO TASTE 115 98 TO BE AND TO DO 114 99 . BUT TO HAVE 113
100 ) . BUT TO BE 113
B1 vocabulary:
absolutely, apply, arrange, provide, register, request, reserve, supposed, taste, unless, whenever