Presentation

Husna Zahra
Stylistics
Topic: Substitution
Dr. Farhat Meher
MS Fall 2020
IIUI
30/4/2021
 Substitution
• Substitution is a type of cohesion
• Substitution means to replace one part or a lexical item in the text
• It is a relationship between linguistic items
• Substitution is a source to avoid repetition in the text.
• With avoiding repetition substitution also functions in meaning
making
• Substitution is a verbal relation and it is confined to text. It is
endophoric.
Types of substitution
• Types of substitution are defined on their grammatical function.
• Three types;
1. Nominal substitution
2. Verbal substitution
3. Clausal substitution
Nominal substitution

• In English one/ones are mostly used as nominal susbtitute

• In nominal group substitute is a noun
• Substitute functions the same as noun
• “I shoot the hippopotamus
with bullets made of platinum
Because if I use leaden ones
His hide is sure to flattem”
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• Substitute may differ in number from presupposed
“Cherry ripe cherry ripe and I cry
Full and fair ones come and buy”
• One/ones fill the head slot and it only carries the head word and it
exclude modifiers
“I thought I had finished the toughest assignments they have not told
me about this one”.
There are no substitutes for mass nouns.
Verbal substitution

• Do operates as the head of the verbal group.

• “the words did not come to same as they used to do”
• In verbal substitution many times there is zero substitution
• Inspector: you recognize her?
• Mrs Birling: no way why should I?
• In this case meaning is not changed.
• Do is not substituted by be and have been
• “I have been living here since 2012. I am doing it because I like this
place”
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• When the mood of the presupposing clause is imperative or

interrogative then do is used
• “Shall I call the doctor? Have not you done so”
Clausal substitution

• Words used as substitutes are so and not

• In clausal substitution the entire clause is presupposed
• Three environment in which clausal substitution happens;
1. Report
2. Condition
3. Modality
• In each environment it may take either positive form or negative form
• Positive is expressed by so and negative is expressed by not
• Reported clause that is substituted by so and not is always declarative
“if you have seen them so often of course you know what they are
alike”
“I believe so” Alice replied
Conditional sentences are often substituted by so and not when the
clause is followed by if
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• “everyone seems to think he is guilty. If so no doubt he will offer
resign”
• For clauses expressing modality so and no are used as substitutes
“would you like cats if you were me?”
“Well perhaps not” Alice replied