What term describes the omission of words in speech or writing that are not needed to convey meaning?

• A. Ellipsis
• B. Embedding
• C. Empowerment
• D. Empathy

Answer: (A)

Ellipsis is the omission of words that aren’t needed to convey meaning. In everyday speech, we drop words that listeners can infer from context, keeping what’s said concise. For example, in a sentence like “If he comes, I will too,” the verb “come” is left out in the second clause because its meaning is already established by the first clause. In writing, ellipsis helps avoid repetition, as in “She can sing, and he can too,” instead of repeating “sing” after both subjects.

The term can also refer to the punctuation mark, the three dots, used to show that material has been left out in quoted text or to indicate a trailing off in speech. The other terms listed describe different ideas: embedding involves inserting elements inside others, while empowerment and empathy relate to social or emotional concepts.