Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises
Ellipsis and substitution exercises online with answers — practise avoiding repetition using one/ones, do/does/did, do so, so/not, and verb phrase ellipsis. Multiple choice and worksheet modes for B1–B2 learners mastering reference substitution and ellipsis in English. 4 exercise sets with 80 questions (B1 - C1 Level).
Ellipsis & Substitution exercises: choose your exercise set
Start with Multiple Choice to build confidence with Ellipsis & Substitution exercises, or try Worksheet to practice all questions on one page.
Prefer to read first? Learn Ellipsis & Substitution
So & Not — Clausal Substitution & Mixed Practice
Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises
“'Is it going to rain this afternoon?' 'I hope ___.'”
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C1 Advanced Ellipsis & Substitution — Formal Register & Inversion
Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises
“'I have never encountered such a complex case in my career.' 'Neither ___ I, and I've been practising law for twenty years.'”
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Why practice Ellipsis & Substitution exercises?
Repeating the same words makes your English sound unnatural. Native speakers constantly use ellipsis (leaving words out) and substitution (replacing words with one, do, so) to keep speech and writing smooth. Start with nominal substitution — using 'one' and 'ones' to replace nouns — at B1, then move to verb phrase ellipsis with auxiliaries and 'do so/do it/do that' at B2. Finally, master clausal substitution with 'so' and 'not' (I think so, I hope not) and mixed practice to build real fluency in avoiding repetition.