What is an ellipsis and how do you use one correctly?: Difference between revisions

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What is an ellipsis and how do you use one correctly? (view source)

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-==Ellipsis==
+<center>http://www.mathmlcentral.com/characters/glyphs/Ellipsis_L.gif</center>
-===Definition===
+An ellipsis is three spaced periods that denote deleted text from a verbatim [[What is the correct way to use punctuation with quotation marks?|quotation]] (Hacker 270). The [[What is a sentence?|sentence]] should not differ in meaning, and should not be ill grammared (Hult 885). The reasoning for use would be to only obtain the words you need in a quotation (Kennedy H-123).
-An Ellipsis is three spaced periods that denote deleted text from a quotation (Hacker 270).
+==Proper Use==
-===Proper Uses===
+*As a simple tell to deleted text, the ellipsis is used this way: Ziggy explained his magic trick by instructing to "multiply your age in years by 365.25 [. . .] that is your age in days."
+*To show that an entire sentence was deleted: "But mom," Chris pined,"I still have an hour left. [. . .] I won't be late for school."
-*As a simple tell to deleted text, the ellipses is used this way: Ziggy explained his magic trick by instructing to "multiply your age in years by 365.25 . . . that is your age in days."
+**Note the use of the period before the ellipsis.
-*To show that an entire sentence was deleted: "But mom," Chris pined,"I still have an hour left. . . . I won't be late for school."
-**note the use of the period before the ellipsis.
 *If showing hesitation or interruption an ellipsis may be used.
-*A line of dots is used when a line of text in poetry has been removed.
+*A line of dots is used when a line of text in poetry has been removed (Hacker 271).
+*If author being quoted has used ellipsis, quoter should use brackets around newly inserted ellipsis, to avoid confusion (Hult 886).
+*When omitting one or more entire [http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaEllipses.htm paragraphs], indicate the omission by indenting four points and placing them on a separate line. Practice of that can be found in point 5 of the linked page.
+*When omitting the beginning of a sentence, bracket and capitalize the beginning letter (Aaron 270).
+**An example of this: "In my house there are ornate paintings on the wall." This would become, "[T]here are ornate paintings on the wall."
+*No ellipsis is needed when using a word or phrase, not taken from verbatim quotation (Aaron 271).
-===Errors In Use===
+==Errors In Use==
-*Using ellipsis to start or end a quotation is not needed.
+*Using ellipsis to start or end a quotation is not needed. It is understood that the material is derived from a longer passage (Hacker 271).
-**This rule is excused if cutting out the last quoted sentence.
+**This rule is excused if the ellipsis is replacing the last quoted sentence; as required by [[What is MLA documentation style?|MLA]] formatting (Hacker 271).
+**When ending a quoted sentence with an ellipsis, use a fourth period as the end of the sentence (Hult 885).
+**If your quotation omitts text from the start, and the first letter was originally capitalized, an ellipsis is needed (Aaron 271).
 *Hodges warns: "Whenever you omit anything from material you quote, make sure your omission does not change the meaning of the original."
-**also pointed out: when omitting a beginning sentence, there is no need for a capital letter.
+*Using brackets around ellipsis only applies to quotations, not statements of your own (Hult 886).
+*Be careful not to [[What is “redundancy”?|overuse]] ellipsis, even in your own work, warns Hult.
+*An ellipsis should not have hanging [http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaEllipses.htm periods]. It should be one entity on the same line, as pointed out in idea six.
+==Links==
+#[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis#Ellipsis_in_English Ellipsis]
+#[http://www.gcse.com/english/ellipsis.htm Simple example]
+#Ellipsis in use outside of English
+##[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis#Ellipsis_in_mathematics In math]
+##[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis#Ellipsis_in_programming In computer use]
 ==Works Cited==
-Hacker, Diana. ''A Writer's Reference''. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.
+Aaron, Jane E. ''The Little, Brown Compact Handbook''. 5th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2004.
+Glenn, Cheryl, Robert K. Miller, Suzanne S. Webb, and Loretta Gray. ''Hodges' Harbrace Handbook''. Boston: Thomsom/Wadsworth, 2004.
+Grinker, Marc. ''The Legal Writing Teaching Assistant: The Law Student's Guide to Good Writing'' Version 1.1. Chicago-Kent College of Law. 11 July 2006.
+:<http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaEllipses.htm>
+Hacker, Diana. ''A Writer's Reference''. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.
+Hult, Christine A., and Thomas N. Huckin. ''The New Century Handbook''. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005.
+Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Sylvia A. Holladay, eds. The Bedford Guide for College Writers. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin Press, 1993.
-Glenn, Cheryl, Robert K. Miller, Suzanne S. Webb, and Loretta Gray. ''Hodges' Harbrace Handbook''. Bostn: Thomsom/Wadsworth, 2004.
+[[Category:Composition]]