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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.

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B2Upper Intermediate
2

Verb Phrase Ellipsis & Verbal Substitution

Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises

B2·20 questions·14 min

So & Not — Clausal Substitution & Mixed Practice

Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises

B2·20 questions·14 min

'Is it going to rain this afternoon?' 'I hope ___.'

LeBron James Joins 76ers in Two-Year Deal
B2 ReadingNEW
297 words·3 min read

LeBron James Joins 76ers in Two-Year Deal

LeBron James, one of the most famous basketball players in the world, is joining the Philadelphia 76ers. The 41-year-old…

AudioVocabulary5 Exercises
Practice Reading
C1Advanced

C1 Advanced Ellipsis & Substitution — Formal Register & Inversion

Ellipsis & Substitution Exercises

C1·20 questions·15 min

'I have never encountered such a complex case in my career.' 'Neither ___ I, and I've been practising law for twenty years.'

LeBron James Signs Two-Year Deal With Philadelphia 76ers
C1 ReadingNEW
371 words·4 min read

LeBron James Signs Two-Year Deal With Philadelphia 76ers

LeBron James, the 41-year-old all-time leading scorer in the NBA (the National Basketball Association), announced on 25 …

AudioVocabulary5 Exercises
Practice Reading

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.