Decide whether ellipses are used appropriately

Learning Objectives Identify the correct placement and punctuation for an ellipsis within a quotation. Analyze a quoted passage to determine if an ellipsis alters the original author's intended meaning. Evaluate whether an omission creates a grammatically awkward or incomplete sentence. Correct quotations that use ellipses inappropriately by either restoring text or rephrasing the surrounding sentence. Integrate shortened quotations using ellipses smoothly and ethically into their own analytical writing. Differentiate between an ellipsis used for omission and one used to indicate a pause or trailing thought in creative writing. Ever seen a movie poster with a critic's quote like '...an incredible... achievement!' and wondered what words were left out? 🤔...

TermDefinitionExample EllipsisA set of three periods (...) used to indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning.Original: 'The sun, a brilliant orb of fire, set slowly over the distant, hazy mountains.' With Ellipsis: 'The sun ... set slowly over the distant ... mountains.' OmissionThe act of leaving something out. In the context of quotations, it refers to the specific words or phrases removed and replaced by an ellipsis.In the quote 'He argued that the plan was 'bold ... and necessary,'' the words 'ambitious, and perhaps even risky' were the omission. Original MeaningThe author's intended message, argument, and tone in the original, complete text. The primar...

The Golden Rule: Preserve Original Meaning An ellipsis must never be used in a way that changes, misrepresents, or contradicts the author's original message. This is the most important ethical rule. Before using an ellipsis, ask yourself: 'Does the quote still mean the same thing without the omitted words?' If the answer is no, you cannot use the ellipsis. This is especially true for words like 'not,' 'never,' or other qualifiers. The Mid-Sentence Omission To omit words from the middle of a single quoted sentence, place a single, space-typed ellipsis (...) where the words were removed. Use this when you want to remove a descriptive clause or an irrelevant phrase from the middle of a sentence to make your evidence more concise. The resulting...