Merchant of Venice
Act 1, Scene 3: Why is the following line an example of an ellipsis?
Why is the following line an example of an ellipsis?
"My ships come home a month before the day."
Why is the following line an example of an ellipsis?
"My ships come home a month before the day."
An ellipsis is the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues. (dictionary) The clues of the line tell us that Antonio is saying something close to: My ships will come home a month before the day that the money is due.