Ellipsis & Substitution — The World's Most Expensive Detours
Grammar: Reported Speech
Free ESL grammar exercise on ellipsis & substitution themed around the world's most expensive detours. Printable worksheet from EnglishPlans.com.
What's on this worksheet
A Business English ESL grammar exercise on business, practising reported speech. The worksheet has a short reading excerpt, a grammar reference and graded practice items.
From the reading
The Strait of Malacca carries roughly 40 percent of global maritime trade. Remove either choke point, and supply chains do not just slow down. Hapag-Lloyd rerouted its vessels, and Maersk did so too. Two routes were proposed; the shorter one was rejected.
Grammar: Reported Speech
- Formal ellipsis
- The Arctic route, though faster, carries significant ice risk. — subject + auxiliary omitted after conjunction in formal reports
- Nominal substitution
- Two routes were proposed; the shorter one was rejected. — 'one' replaces a repeated noun phrase
Sample items
- Two Arctic transit proposals were reviewed; ______ that required Russian escorts was rejected.
- COSCO completed the Northern Sea Route in 2013, and several European carriers have ______ since.
- The board approved the Cape route, ______ longer, because ice risk was deemed unacceptable.
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