Ellipsis:
leaving out part of the quotation
Sometimes it may be desirable to leave out a word or words, a phrase, a sentence or even an entire paragraph from the original quotation so that the part of the quotation that you use focuses more closely on the meaning that you wish to convey. Of course, when you omit part of the original quotation, you should not distort the original quotation simply to make it say what you would prefer it to mean. You must also always ensure that your meaning remains clear for the reader while respecting correct grammar.
Carefully read the excerpt below that comes from a speech that the Queen Elizabeth II made at London's Guildhall on November 24, 1992 below concerning institutional accountability.
"No institution – City, Monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t”.
Observe below how an ellipsis marked by three ellipsis points or spaced periods is used to indicate that part of the Queen's speech is being omitted-- specifically the part that refers to the "Monarchy" as an institution. Now we can use the Queen's words in a more general sense to apply to any institution that lacks accountability without distorting the Queen's original meaning and preserving the grammatical flow of the Queen's sentence.
"No institution – City, . . . , whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t”.
At this point, we could even paraphrase the Queen's words inserting an institution that is relevant to the particular meaning we wish to convey provided that we do not depart from the Queen's original meaning.
"No institution – City, . . . [government, college], whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t”.
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Maintained by:K.Kells, © Seneca College, Updated: 8/15/02