Ellipsis (style)
Figures of speechOmission of grammatically expected words the context lets the reader reconstruct — the sentence gains speed.
Example
"First day in Paris. Rain. No one at the station."
Stylistic ellipsis removes elements grammar would expect — verb, subject, connective — betting the reader will restore them: "Him, gone? Impossible." The sentence densifies, accelerates, takes on the gait of a telegram or a verdict.
It's the tool of dry openings, chapter endings, moments of shock where full syntax would sound too composed. Distinguish it from narrative ellipsis, which removes not words but story time. Like every figure of subtraction, it works by contrast: in already-choppy prose, one more ellipsis goes unseen.
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