Section 1
Ellipsis Points in Quotations
Definition
Use ellipsis points (. . .) to mark omissions from quoted material.
Explanation
Think of ellipsis points as a 'skip' button for quotes! Use them to show you've left out words from the middle or end of a quoted sentence. Remember, if you omit the beginning of a sentence within a longer quote, you'll need a period plus the three dots, and you might need to capitalize the new first letter in [brackets].
Examples
- The author said, “Writing a novel requires an incredible amount . . . of dedication.” [The words of time and were omitted from the middle of the sentence.]
- The mayor announced, “We will rebuild the town square. Then, we will host a festival for all residents. . . .” [The ellipsis points show that words were omitted at the end of the final sentence.]
- The scientist explained, “The initial results are promising. . . . [F]urther testing is required to confirm our hypothesis.” [The word However was omitted from the beginning of the second sentence, and the F is in brackets because it was not capitalized in the original.]