phrase ellipsis

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