• 2-minute read
• 3rd July 2014

How to Use an Ellipsis

When quoting lengthy passages of text in your work, you may wish to omit a clause or even just a few words, especially if your word limit is tight! This is where the ellipsis comes in handy.

In sentences which contain many clauses, such as lists, an ellipsis can help you to focus in on the points relevant to your argument. The same is true when quoting longer passages of text. Read on to find out more.

What is an Ellipsis?

An ellipsis consists of three dots (… or . . .) and indicates an omission in a text. Opinions differ on whether to place a space on either side of the dots, so you may want to check your style guide on this issue.

Opinions also differ about whether  square brackets should be placed around ellipses. This is less common now than it used to be, but make sure to check your style guide on this one, too. The most important thing is to use a consistent style throughout your work.

How to Use an Ellipsis

Simply add three full stops where you want to omit words from what you are quoting. A passage containing multiple ellipses would look like this:

Wordsworth (1993) … writes, ‘Let me ask … What is a Poet? … He is a man … endued with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has … a more comprehensive soul than are supposed to be common’.

Make sure the word after an ellipsis follows from the word directly before it. Any sentence should still make grammatical sense after omissions.

A Dramatic Pause

In less formal writing, especially fiction, an ellipsis does not always indicate an omission. Instead, ellipses are often used to create a pause, perhaps for comic or dramatic effect. Usually, using an ellipsis like this requires leaving a space afterwards, like this: ‘They think it’s all over… it is now!’