science

Whiz deletion

Whiz deletion is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Whiz deletion rather than just read about it. In short: In linguistics, whiz deletion is a form of ellipsis common in the English language in which a relative pronoun and a form of the verb “to be” are both deleted. Examples Mark Twain, who is generally considered the greatest American humorist, was from Hannibal Missouri.

Key takeaways

Whiz deletion belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Whiz deletion to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Whiz deletion from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In linguistics, whiz deletion is a form of ellipsis common in the English language in which a relative pronoun and a form of the verb “to be” are both deleted.

Examples Mark Twain, who is generally considered the greatest American humorist, was from Hannibal Missouri. The Crystal Palace, which had been built to house London's Great Exposition of 1851, was destroyed by fire in 1936. Whiz deletion is a form of ellipsis that is common in the English language.

Etymology The term “whiz deletion” is a pun made out of a portmanteau stemming from the fact that several of the relative pronouns in English start with “wh-“ and from the is form of “to be.”

Significance in transformational grammar Whiz deletion is analyzed by Langendoen as a transformational reduction of relative clauses that—together with another transformation, which moves adjectives in front of the noun phrases they modify—explains many occurrences of attributive adjectives. On this analysis, for example, whiz deletion transforms the sentence

1. Wiring that is faulty causes many fires. into

2. *Wiring faulty causes many fires. And then the fact that the deletion left behind a bare adjective (namely, faulty) triggers the adjective-preposing transformation, which produces the final (surface) form

3. Faulty wiring causes many fires.

Criticisms The notion that the process of whiz deletion is the correct explanation for the surface structures in question has been disputed. Williams argues, for instance, that it fails to address the difference between

4. The firm representing the defendant moved to have the case dismissed. which whiz deletion would produce from

5. The firm that was [or is] representing the defendant moved to have the case dismissed. and

6. The landlord owning the building will double the rent. which would have to come from the non grammatical

7. *The landlord who is owning the building will double the rent.

See also wh-word Reduced relative clause

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Whiz deletion

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Whiz deletion claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Whiz deletion before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Whiz deletion ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Whiz deletion

In research: Whiz deletion appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Whiz deletion in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Whiz deletion is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Formal semantics (natural language), Syntactic relationships, Syntactic transformation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Whiz deletion outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Whiz deletion in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Whiz deletion means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Whiz deletion out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Whiz deletion in simple terms?

In linguistics, whiz deletion is a form of ellipsis common in the English language in which a relative pronoun and a form of the verb “to be” are both deleted. Examples Mark Twain, who is generally considered the greatest American humorist, was from Hannibal Missouri.

Why does Whiz deletion matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Whiz deletion?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Whiz deletion.