ENGLISH infinitive

► acts as a noun, adjective or adverb, and it is usually

made up of two words: to + verb
NOUN MODIFICATION ⤿ these two words act together as noun, adjective, or
adverb
► one way to maximize the opportunity to communicate
is by packing a good amount of detail in each statement PARTICIPLES
► sentences can be expanded by modifying the nouns it
► a verb form that can be used as an adjective, to create
contains, thus adding more information about them verb tense, or to create the passive voice
— TWO TYPES:
 Present participle (-ing)
MODIFIERS  Past participle (-ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n)
► “MODIFY” – to change or to alter something. This
definition is the same when considering the purpose of d. PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
modifiers within a sentence. – may act as adjectives
► changes, clarifies, qualifies, or limits a particular word Example:
in a sentence in order to add emphasis, explanation, or - The contract for the bridge was signed by the director of
detail infrastructure operations.
e. SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
✓ NOUNSCAN BE MODIFIED IN – may also act as adjectives, modifying a noun in the
NUMBER OF WAYS: main clause
a. ADJECTIVES Example:
– can add descriptive information about number, nature, - The hand that signed the paper was the President’s.
and the like - The candidate who had the biggest campaign budget
Example: actually lost.
- Complex notion
- Dangerous substance
- Quick review
b. NOUN
– a noun can also be modified by another noun; the
original noun thus becomes a head noun
Example:
- car door
- asthma medication
- silver medal
c. VERBALS
– act as adjectives, such as infinitives and participles, may
modify a noun
Example:
- running gag
- combined forces
- the person to talk to
 c. Nominal ellipsis – I ordered two drinks, and Bill
RECOGNIZING [ordered] one.

ELLIPSIS ✓ SIGNIFICANCE OF ELLIPSIS IN

ELLIPSIS
► omission of a word or series of words
► commonly used series of three dots, which can be placed
at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence or
clause
⤿ These three dots can stand in for a whole section of text that
are omitted that do not change the overall meaning. The dots
can also indicate a mysterious or unfinished thought, a
leading sentence, or a pause or silence. This punctuation is
also referred to as a suspension point, points of ellipsis,
periods of ellipsis, or in speech may be called “dot-dot-dot” .
► linguistically appropriate omission of words that are
mutually understood and thus unnecessary
clause
⤿ this type of ellipsis is usually used where the words omitted
would be redundant
LITERATURE
► Authors use ellipsis for many reasons, similar to
the diverse ways we use ellipsis in written and spoken
language. Authors generally use ellipses in their
works of literature to indicate an omission of
unnecessary words or information. Authors also use
examples of ellipsis to build tension when it seems
though a character or the narrator is leaving
something unfinished, unsaid, or unstated.
Example: linguistic terms (and words omitted in
brackets)
a. gapping – I ordered the linguini, and he [ordered] the
lobster.
b. Stripping – I ordered the linguini, [I did] not [order]
lobster.
c. Verb phrase ellipsis – I’ll order the linguini and you cab
[order the linguini], too.

Example:
A person might say, “I went to the mall on Monday, and she
on Sunday.” A contextually identical sentence would be “I
went to the mall on Monday, and she went to the mall on
Sunday.” The words “to the mall” are omitted because they
are understood from the context what the speaker is referring
to.

Example:
- So…what happened?
- Um… I’m not sure that’s true.
- …sure.
- You went to the restaurant. And…
- But I thought we were meeting on Tuesday…?

► The usage of three dots as an ellipsis is incredibly

popular in texting and social media in this day and age. Many
people use ellipses to signal confusion, disapproval,
hesitation, or to show more is to come when writing in a chat-
based application.
a. Answer ellipsis – Who ordered the linguini? I did.
[order the linguini]
b. sluicing – I’ll get something to drink, but I’m not
sure what [I’ll get to drink].