English Language Arts
Grade 12
15 min
Decide whether ellipses are used appropriately
Decide whether ellipses are used appropriately
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define the function of an ellipsis within academic quotations.
Differentiate between appropriate omissions for brevity and inappropriate omissions that distort meaning.
Analyze quoted passages to determine if the original author's intent has been ethically preserved.
Correctly format ellipses within a sentence, at the end of a sentence, and across sentences according to MLA style.
Evaluate the ethical implications of using ellipses in academic, journalistic, and political contexts.
Apply the rules of ellipsis use to integrate quotations seamlessly and accurately into their own critical essays.
Ever seen a movie trailer that completely misrepresented the film? 🎬 That's what a poorly used ellipsis can do to a quotation, twisting an author's...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
EllipsisA punctuation mark consisting of three periods (. . .) used to indicate the intentional omission of words from a quoted text.Original: 'The long, winding, and treacherous road led to the castle.' Quoted: 'The long . . . road led to the castle.'
OmissionThe act of leaving out a word, phrase, or sentence from a quotation, typically to enhance readability or focus on the most relevant information.In a lengthy description of a forest, a writer might omit several adjectives to focus on the main action occurring there.
Original MeaningThe intended message, argument, tone, and context of the source author in the original work.A critic's statement, 'This film, despite its many glaring flaws, is ultimately a masterpiece,' has an over...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Integrity Rule
An ellipsis must not alter the fundamental meaning, tone, or intent of the original quotation.
This is the primary ethical rule. You can omit words for brevity or relevance, but you cannot omit words to twist an author's argument. The shortened quote must remain a fair and accurate representation of the source.
The Grammatical Rule
The newly formed sentence, which includes your own words and the altered quotation, must be grammatically complete and correct.
When you omit words, the remaining sentence must still make logical and grammatical sense. If the omission creates a grammatical error, you must either rephrase your sentence or choose a different part of the text to quote.
The Formatting Rule (MLA Style)
Use three spaced periods (. . .) for...
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Challenging
A student is writing an essay arguing that a politician's speech was intentionally misleading. The politician said: 'My plan will create jobs, stimulate the economy, and grow the middle class, though some analysts predict a short-term budget deficit.' Is it ethically permissible for the student to quote the politician as saying his plan will 'create jobs, stimulate the economy, and grow the middle class . . .' without the final clause?
A.Yes, because the omission is for brevity and focuses on the politician's main promises, which is the topic of the essay.
B.Yes, because the student's thesis is that the politician was misleading, so showing only the promises supports the argument.
C.No, because omitting the politician's acknowledgement of a counterpoint fundamentally misrepresents the complexity and honesty of the original statement.
D.No, because an ellipsis can never be used at the very end of a quotation; it must be followed by more text.
Challenging
Original: 'Virginia Woolf's novel *Mrs. Dalloway* is not, as some early critics suggested, a simple story about a woman planning a party; it is a profound meditation on the passage of time.' Student Quote: 'According to the scholar, *Mrs. Dalloway* is 'not . . . a simple story . . . it is a profound meditation on the passage of time.'' Which combination of errors best describes this attempt at quotation?
A.Formatting Fumble and a Trivial Omission.
B.'Frankenquote' and a violation of the Integrity Rule.
C.Trivial Omission and a Grammar-Breaking Omission.
D.violation of the Integrity Rule (by removing crucial context) and a Grammar-Breaking Omission (by creating a run-on sentence).
Challenging
You are analyzing *Frankenstein* and want to use this quote: 'With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.' Your paragraph focuses solely on Victor's scientific ambition. Based on the tutorial, what is the most academically honest approach?
A.Quote it as: 'I collected the instruments of life around me . . . [to] infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing,' omitting the emotion.
B.Paraphrase the sentence to focus only on the scientific action, such as writing 'Victor gathered his scientific equipment to begin his experiment,' and then cite the source.
C.Quote the entire sentence, as the tutorial implies the emotional context is inseparable from the action and omitting it would distort Shelley's characterization.
D.Create a 'Frankenquote': 'With . . . anxiety . . . I collected the instruments of life,' to hint at the emotion without quoting the full phrase.
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