Ellipsis

[Lone]

Dear Joe,

I found the below example in a grammar book:
She remained silent, for her heart was heavy and her spirits low.

In this sentence, there is an omitted verb were. So, the full sentence should be She remained silent, for her heart was heavy and her spirits were low.

However, is it grammatically incorrect to omit the verb were ? I am very puzzled as I think only duplicated elements can be deleted whereas the two copulas in the above sentence (was and were) are different.

Please help as I am very confused!

Lone

[odyssey]

On first reading it doesn't shock me, but on reflection you may well be right. For a definitive answer I recommend you ask the Professor Alan on the EnglishClub Help Desk at:
https://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/ ... .php?f=199