Ellipsis In Coordination (Gapping)
Gapping is a stylistic tool used in written Danish to remove a repeated verb in the second part of a sentence, leaving only the subject and object/adverbial (e.g., 'Jeg drikker kaffe, og han te').
How It Works
Gapping is a sophisticated syntactic device primarily found in formal, literary, or journalistic Danish. It is less common in casual speech, where Danes prefer to repeat the verb or use a pro-verb construction like 'det gør han også'.
Key Rules for Gapping:
- Identity: The omitted verb must be identical in form and meaning to the first verb. You cannot gap if the tense or the specific verb needs to change.
- Remnants: There must be at least two elements left in the second clause (usually the subject and the object). If only one element remains, it is called 'stripping' and usually requires også.
- Suspension of V2: Because the verb is omitted, the V2 word order rule is suspended in the second clause. Even if the first clause uses inversion (e.g., 'I går drak jeg kaffe...'), the gapped clause defaults to a Subject-Object order ('... og hun te'), never '... og te hun'.
- Punctuation: A comma is standard and highly recommended in formal writing before the conjunction, as it connects two clausal units. However, according to Dansk Sprognævn, the comma may be omitted in very short, closely connected sentences.
Examples (4)
- Jeg drikker kaffe, og hun te.
I drink coffee, and she [drinks] tea.
Word by Word: I drink coffee, and she tea.
A standard example where the verb 'drikker' is omitted in the second clause.
- Nogle foretrækker sommeren, men andre vinteren.
Some prefer the summer, but others [prefer] the winter.
Word by Word: Some prefer summer-the, but others winter-the.
Gapping is often used with 'men' to highlight a contrast between two groups.
- I går tog jeg toget, og min kone bilen.
Yesterday I took the train, and my wife [took] the car.
Word by Word: In yesterday took I train-the, and my wife car-the.
Even with an initial adverbial, the gapped clause maintains the Subject-Object order.
- Han købte en avis, og hun et magasin.
He bought a newspaper, and she [bought] a magazine.
Word by Word: He bought a newspaper, and she a magazine.
The past tense verb 'købte' is elided in the second part.
Common Mistakes
Attempting to gap verbs that are not identical in form.
Jeg har set filmen, og han bogen.Jeg har set filmen, og han har læst bogen.You cannot gap if the verbs are different (seeing vs. reading) or if the auxiliary verb doesn't match the implied action.
Using gapping with negation in a way that sounds unnatural.
Jeg drikker ikke kaffe, og hun ikke te.Jeg drikker ikke kaffe, og det gør hun heller ikke.In Danish, gapping with 'ikke' is very rare and awkward. It is better to use a pro-verb construction with 'heller ikke'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Gapping is a form of ellipsis where a repeated verb is omitted in subsequent coordinated clauses. To understand this, learners need to be comfortable with basic sentence coordination using 'og', standard word order, and basic verb usage so they can mentally supply the missing verb.
Related Patterns
- menBut
Used for contrastive gapping between two different subjects.
Level 1 - Verb-Second Word Order
Gapping removes the verb that usually anchors the V2 word order constraint.
Level 2 - Ellipsis After A Modal (det)
A related type of ellipsis that uses a pro-verb instead of leaving a literal gap.
Level 5 - heller ikkeNeither / Not Either (Heller Ikke)
The preferred way to handle negative coordination instead of gapping.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Ellipsis In Coordination (Gapping) in Bubblegum
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