College Composition / Unit 23 CMP 0562 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Ellipses and Brackets in Quotations
Captions available
The idea
Ellipses mark words omitted from a quotation, and brackets mark words changed or added for clarity.
In practice
"The results provide hope [to patients with the condition]" clarifies a reference; an ellipsis can drop a digression from the middle of a quoted sentence.
Where people slip
Neither may change the source's meaning; cutting a "not" with an ellipsis is a distortion.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
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