English Language

Punctuation (Ellipsis)

Name: ______________ Grade: VIII ______ Date:_______________

Ellipsis (the Punctuation Mark)

An ellipsis is a punctuation mark made up of three dots (...). An ellipsis is used:

➢ To show an omission of a word or words (including whole sentences) from a text

(without changing the overall meaning of the sentence).
For example:
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when ... he asked for my autograph. (Actress
Shirley Temple)
(Original: "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in
a department store and he asked for my autograph.")

➢ To create a pause for effect.

For example:
He was empty ... filled with rage ... the embodiment of a broken heart.

➢ To show an unfinished thought.

For example:
That is gruesome. Revenge is one thing, but...

➢ To show a trail off into silence.

For example:
"Rodney, I just . . ." John began helplessly.

➢ The term "ellipsis" also refers to omitting repeated words for efficiency or effect.
For example:
Mark likes cakes; Lee... pies.
Note there is a space before and after the ellipsis. If the ellipsis comes at the end of a
sentence, four dots are used (three for the ellipsis and one for the period (full stop)) - the
ellipsis is followed by a space and a period .
 English Language
Punctuation (Ellipsis)
Exercise 1: The Ellipsis To Show an Omission of a Word or Words.

Example with complete text:

The parade had clowns, floats and a brass band, which wore blue uniforms.
Example with ellipsis:
The parade had clowns, floats and a brass band ….

Q. Rewrite each sentence below omitting text or a piece of information without

changing the overall meaning of the text.
1. We were cautioned by the 8th grade World History teacher Mrs. Petersen not to run in
the halls.
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2. The important point to make, and I cannot say it too often, is that music and art
are important factors in a culture.
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3. He couldn’t run fast enough, although he tried with all his might, to catch the
carriage as it traveled down the road.
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4. When we think about it carefully, and we should be careful to think about it,
the use of punctuation is a science and an art.
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5. The children played on all the playground equipment including the swings,
the slide, the monkey bars, and the merry-go-round.
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 English Language
Punctuation (Ellipsis)
Exercise 2: The Ellipsis to Show a Pause/ for Effect
While it often shows that some text has been left out, it may also be used to
show a pause, a hesitation, or an incomplete thought, especially in quotations.
Note there is a space before and after the ellipsis. If the ellipsis is at the end of
a quotation followed by a speaker reference, there is no comma.
Example 1:
“I’m confused . . .” said Elaine.
Example 2:
The painting was . . . curious.
Example 3:
She cried “Hello ...”

Q. Rewrite each sentence below using an ellipsis.

1. I thought the party was nice.

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2. Otto said, “There’s nothing inside.”
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3. The dog looked at the large cat and then looked away.
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4. “I want,” Stacy said, dreamily.
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5. “No, no, no, no!” exclaimed Horace.
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6. The flower arrangement was unusual.
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 English Language
Punctuation (Ellipsis)
Exercise 3: The Ellipsis for Omitting (Shortening) Text
The ellipsis is used to shorten a long quotation. The omitted text does not
change the meaning of the quotation and is unnecessary to understanding the
quotation. Example with complete quotation:
John F. Kennedy made a promise in his inaugural speech: “Let every nation
know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any
burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to
assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
Example with ellipsis:
John F. Kennedy made a promise in his inaugural speech: “Let every nation
know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price . . . to assure
the survival and the success of liberty.”

Q. Below is another passage from President Kennedy’s speech. Write

these sentences quoting the passage and using an ellipsis.
Passage:
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the
word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch
has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century,
tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient
heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those
human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which
we are committed today at home and around the world.
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