Verbal Ellipsis in J. R. R. Tolkien's The HobbitPočkaj, Luka (Avtor) Jurančič, Klementina Penelope (Mentor) Verbal EllipsisThe Hobbitnon-finite verbal formsfinite verbal formscohesionThis thesis investigates verbal phrase ellipsis in Tolkien’s The Hobbit, focusing on the comparison between finite and non-finite verb forms. Building on Jurančič’s (1994) hypothesis—that Slovenian uses fewer non-finite forms than English—the study examines whether a balanced relationship exists in English texts and how this balance is reflected in a work combining narrative prose and dialogue. While ellipsis is traditionally associated with personal forms, the thesis argues that it can also occurs with non-personal forms. The analysis is based on a manual, sentence-by-sentence review of the text to identify and quantify both personal and non-personal verb forms along with instances of ellipsis. I distinguish between lexical and auxiliary verbs, as well as regular and irregular forms, and explain the five basic forms of lexical verbs. The discussion also covers the phenomenon of verbal ellipsis, distinguishing between lexical ellipsis and operator ellipsis. The empirical part focuses on The Hobbit. The text was analysed sentence by sentence to catalogue various verb forms and identify instances of ellipsis. The study pays special attention to whether ellipsis is more common in certain verb types or syntactic environments, and whether its use differs between dialogue and narrative passages. The study situates The Hobbit within the fantasy genre, noting its blend of mythic storytelling, archaic language, and diverse stylistic features that contribute to its unique narrative rhythm. Overall, the research combines functional and structural approaches to explore how verbal ellipsis influences textual cohesion and narrative tempo, paving the way for future comparative studies across genres.L. Počkaj20252025-02-24 19:56:54Magistrsko delo/naloga91896UDK: 811.111'367.625(043.2)COBISS_ID: 235360771sl