"Words may often be entirely omitted, and yet no ambiguity ensue." - Mavor's Universal Stenography, (published 1807.)

122. For the sake of brevity, or to secure a facile phrase, several words, or a single word, or a part of a word, may be altogether omitted from a phrase, provided the sense or the grammatical construction will necessarily show that there is an omission, and will readily suggest the word or words to be supplied. The words omitted are generally small connecting words - usually articles, conjunctions or prepositions. Words thus omitted in writing, and suggested in reading by the sense or grammatical construction, are said to be implied. The omission may occur at the beginning of a phrase (as in the case of on the, omitted in writing the phrase on the one hand); or, in the midst of a phrase (as when of is omitted from the phrase court of justice); or, at the end of a phrase (as when the word to is dropped from the phrase in reference to). In thus omitting words which may safely be omitted, and fearlessly trusting to the sense or construction to suggest them, the writer takes advantage of the fact that certain words necessarily precede others; that certain words necessarily come between others; and that certain words necessarily follow others. Thus, when we write as a phrase face face, it is obvious that between the two words there is an omission, and the word to necessarily suggests itself to fill the gap. So, when we write more more, the necessity of and as a connecting word must be obvious. If we write for sake justice, we cannot but observe that, to make the sense complete, we must, in reading, supply the before sake, and of before justice, making the clause read for the sake of justice.

123. This law of implication, as an aid to the reporter, has been stated by an early phonographic author in these words: "It is sometimes allowable, in a phraseogram, to omit some portions of a word, or whole words, where the phrase embodied in the skeleton is so familiar and suggestive that the context will readily assist us in deciphering it." (Robert Patterson's Reporter's Assistant, page 18.)

124. The same principle is thus stated in Graham's Handbook, (Revised Edition), page 233: "Generally it is allowable, in reporting style, to omit any words which must, and may readily, be supplied to complete the sense or construction."

125. Prof. F. G. Morris ("The Phrase," page 49), in stating the same principle, uses this language: "Any element, circle, loop, stroke, syllable, word, which prevents a good phrase, and which at the same time will certainly and readily be supplied in reading, is omitted for the sake of the phrase."

"implication" and "indication" distinguished.

126. The terms "ellipsis" and "implication" are not to be applied to a case where omitted words, or parts of words, instead of being supplied by the sense or construction, are indicated by some stenographic expedient, such as the writing of two words close together to indicate the omission of the intervening words of the, or the bringing of part of a word into proximity with a preceding stroke, to indicate an omitted con or com. In such cases the omitted syllables or words are said to be indicated, not implied, indication being simply one method of expression. But if (as when we write word God for word of God) the fact of omission, and the word necessary to supply the omission, are suggested by the context or construction only, not by any peculiar method of writing or arranging the written words, it is said that the omitted syllable, word or words are implied.

127. It should be remembered that, in all cases of ellipsis or implication, properly so called, where the missing words are implied, not indicated, there is no lifting of the pen on account of the omission. When the phrase is once begun, the pen remains upon the paper until it is completed. Implied words are, in writing, treated as if they did not exist; in reading they are brought out by means of the sense or grammatical construction. In applying the principle of ellipsis or implication, nothing is left to guesswork. The brief connecting words omitted, and no others, are necessarily supplied to make the clause complete. The nature of the omission is such that the careful writer, when he comes to read the notes, must notice the omission, and cannot be in doubt as to the word or words necessary to fill the gap.