Substitution
Getting divorced just because you don't love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do. Zsa Zsa Gabor
The power of the periodical press is second only to that of the people. Alexis de Tocqueville
True stories deal with hunger, imaginary ones with love.
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from English Grammar Today
Substitution: purpose
In speaking and in writing, we try to avoid repeating words, phrases or clauses. We use substitute forms to do this:
A:Pam always brings us back chocolates when she travels.B:Oh, nice.A:She brought some Belgian ones from her last trip, which were delicious.B:Lucky you!
(A uses ones to avoid repeating chocolates.)
[A has a problem with her computer]
A:Do you think I should phone Barry and ask him to come and look at it.B:Yes, do. (B uses do to avoid repeating phone Barry and ask him to come and look at it.)
We
can use substitution to refer backwards or forwards. Forward
substitution is far less common than backward substitution (The noun
being referred to is underlined in the examples.):
If you need them, there are nails in the toolbox (forward substitution).
A large saucepan is what we need for making jam, but I don’t have one (backward substitution).
Substitution: what forms can we use?
We can use many different words and phrases in substitution, including words such as both, either, some (indefinite quantifying pronouns), do and so, and expressions such as the same and thus.
Indefinite quantifying pronouns
The following words and phrases are commonly used as substitutes:
(a) little
|
each
|
less
|
one(s)
|
another
|
either
|
many
|
other(s)
|
all
|
enough
|
much
|
several
|
any
|
few
|
neither
|
some
|
both
|
half
|
none
|
A:There’s this card with a clown on it and this one with a monkey. Which do you think Mark would prefer?B:I think he’d like either.
A:Does she have a lot of friends at work?B:No, not one.
Substituting with do
We use do, do so, do it, do the same to substitute for a verb and whatever accompanies it (complement):
A:We always have toast and coffee in the morning.B:We do too. I can’t function without breakfast. (Do substitutes for have toast and coffee in the morning.)
Substituting with so
We can use so as a substitute in a number of ways: for an adjective (it remains so), an object clause (I think so), with reporting verbs (so I heard) and in exclamations (so he is!).
Substitution for nouns
One, some, ones
We mostly use one and some/ones to substitute for countable nouns:
She tried to get a ticket but she couldn’t get one. (She couldn’t get a ticket.)
A:Is there a bookshop around here?B:There are two second-hand ones at the end of the street on the right.
Where there is nothing before or after ones, some or any are used as a plural substitute:
A:Have either of you got any one pound coins for this machine?B:Let me see, I’ve definitely got some.C:I’m afraid I don’t have any.
Not:Let me see, I’ve definitely got ones.
Not:I’m afraid I don’t have ones.
Indefinite quantifying pronouns (little, all, both, neither)
We can use indefinite quantifying pronouns such as (a) little, all, both, many, much, neither, few to substitute for noun phrases:
Hundreds of people went to the village festival and all seemed to enjoy themselves very much.
That, those
We can use that and those as substitutes meaning ‘the one(s)’ in more formal contexts:
The water for the factory was that from the local reservoir.
The books he read were those which he found in the old library.
In formal contexts, especially in academic style, we use that of/those of:
The head has a similar shape and size to that of a mammal.
See also:
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