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a syntactic phenomenon where non-finite verbs or verb phrases are omitted in coordinated clauses, with only the shared elements being expressed, resulting in a shortened or elliptical sentence structure
What is "gapping"?
Gapping is a grammatical phenomenon where elements that are repeated in a sentence are omitted to avoid redundancy. This often occurs in coordinated clauses, where the shared components are left out, making the sentence more concise. For example, in the sentence "John likes pizza, and Mary, pasta," the verb "likes" is omitted after "Mary" because it is understood from the first part of the sentence. Gapping helps create more efficient communication by eliminating unnecessary repetition while still conveying the intended meaning.
gapping
gap
