Ellipsis and substitution

Cambridge Veritas · Original TESOL self-study resources

Understand the idea

Some language can be omitted or replaced when the surrounding text makes it recoverable. Learners need to identify what is understood. This matters for comprehension as well as concise writing and natural conversation.

What you will practise

• Explain the key idea in “Ellipsis and substitution” using a concrete example.
• Choose a teaching response that fits the learner and the purpose.
• Identify evidence you could collect to evaluate that response.

A closer look at the teaching

Recovering an omitted phrase requires grammar and context. Ask learners to expand the short version, compare the meanings and judge whether the shorter form is clear. Include examples across short exchanges and connected writing. The teaching goal is to interpret or produce a natural concise message, not simply delete words from every sentence.

A text must make sense as a message and guide a reader through its parts. Cohesion draws attention to the language that connects those parts; coherence draws attention to the ideas and their organisation. Analyse a short complete text so these two dimensions stay connected. Learners can then revise for a reader, checking reference, logical relationships and the information needed to achieve the text’s purpose rather than only adding connectors.

In the classroom

Before choosing an activity, identify what the learner needs to understand or communicate. Separate the language demand from other demands such as reading instructions, managing equipment or speaking to a large group.

A teaching sequence you can adapt

Use these stages as a starting point for this topic. Keep the language goal visible, and change the support when learner responses show a different need.

1. 01

   Identify the text’s purpose, intended reader and overall message before looking at individual links.

2. 02

   Trace reference, lexical connections and logical relationships using a short passage.

3. 03

   Compare a clear version with one containing an ambiguity or organisational problem and discuss the reader’s difficulty.

4. 04

   Revise or create a new passage, then ask a reader to explain the message and locate essential information.

A common mistake to avoid

When reviewing the activity, distinguish what you observed from what you inferred. Use the task outcome and a fresh example to decide whether another explanation, a different scaffold or more independent practice is needed.

Adapt it for your learners

Keep the intended outcome consistent when comparing responses. Record which support was available so you do not confuse a supported performance with the same task completed independently.

Try it, then compare.

Take a moment to make your own decision. Compare your reasoning with the example, then adapt it for a teaching context you know.

Your questions, answered.

Quick revision

• The key idea: Some language can be omitted or replaced when the surrounding text makes it recoverable.
• The context to remember: “Mina ordered tea and I did too.”
• A useful next step: Recover the omitted information and create a new example.

For your teaching portfolio: keep a brief plan, a note of what learners actually did and one change you would make next time. Use anonymous examples.

Sources and authorship

This module maps to the supplied syllabus PDF, Text and discourse (4 pages). The study notes, examples, application tasks and self-checks on these pages are original Cambridge Veritas resources.

View the supplied PDF ↗ · Publication reference: source chapter

Written by Cambridge Veritas. Updated 10 November 2026.

Use these resources for preparation and reflection. Browser self-check results are for personal study and do not award a qualification or replace observed teaching practice.

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