Three dots (ellipsis) in quotation (speech) marks


Grammar Lessons \| Grammar Tests \| Common Grammar Errors \| Grammatical Terms \| Easily Confused Words \| Free Grammar Checker \| Search \| Contact Us Ellipsis (three dots) to show an omitted section of a quotation

Use three dots to show that you have omitted part of a quotation.

Three Dots for Missing Text

Use 3 dots to show parts of the quotation that are missing. (This is called ellipsis.)

Example:

Jameson promised: "In accordance with the statement, the bank will provide
the services...outlined in the brochure."

(The text between "services" and "outlined" has been deemed to be irrelevant.
However, the three dots (called ellipsis) show the reader that text has been
omitted.)

Four Dots

If an ellipsis is used to replace words that end a quoted sentence, then it is usual to use 4 dots: three for the ellipsis and one (a full stop

or period

) to end the quotation.

"Fame is the spur...." (John Milton)

EXTEND A SENTENCE WITH 3 DOTS

You can also extend a sentence with three dots. This is done when a pause for effect is required.

...and there it was...gone.

(In this lighthearted example, the first three dots are ellipsis (to show text omitted) and the second set is a pause for effect.

This is covered more in the lesson Extend a Sentence.