English

GUM – Grammar, Usage, Mechanics

1. Learn how and when to use the ellipses.

2. Use ellipses correctly within sentences.

▪ The ellipsis represents information that the writer is omitting from a quotation.

▪ An ellipsis (plural: ellipses) is a punctuation mark consisting of three dots with spaces in between.

▪ Use an ellipsis when omitting a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage. Ellipses save space or remove material that is less relevant.

▪ They are useful in getting right to the point without delay or distraction:

▪ Full quotation: "Today, after hours of careful thought, we vetoed the bill.“

▪ With ellipsis: "Today … we vetoed the bill."

▪ When omitting words from quotations, remember to be fair to the author.

▪ Do not use the quotation in a way that implies an alternate meaning from the one the author intended.

▪ Say you were reading “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and you found that this sentence would be beneficial in your paper: ▪ “I do not hesitate to say, that those who call

themselves Abolitionists should at once effectually withdraw their support, both in person and property, from the government of Massachusetts, and not wait till they constitute a majority of one, before they suffer the right to prevail through them.”

▪ You could use an ellipsis to omit words from the beginning of the sentence . . .

▪ Thoreau feels, “. . . Abolitionists should at once effectually withdraw their support, both in person and property, from the government of Massachusetts, and not wait till they constitute a majority of one, before they suffer the right to prevail through them.”

▪ . . or to omit words from the middle of a sentence . . .

▪ “I do not hesitate to say, that those who call themselves Abolitionists should at once effectually withdraw their support . . . from the government of Massachusetts, and not wait till they constitute a majority of one, before they suffer the right to prevail through them,” Thoreau stated.

▪ When using a parenthetical notation at the end of a sentence, with an ellipsis, place a period after the citation. For example:

▪ “. . . and not wait till they constitute a majority of one . . .” (Thoreau 20).

Rule 1-2

▪ A common way to delete the beginning of a sentence is to follow the opening quotation mark with an ellipsis, plus a bracketed capital letter:

▪Example: "… [A]fter hours of careful thought, we vetoed the bill."

▪ Ellipses can express hesitation, changes of mood, suspense, or thoughts trailing off.

▪ Writers also use ellipses to indicate a pause or wavering in an otherwise straightforward sentence.

▪ Example: He said, "I … really don't … understand this."

▪ Ellipses| Punctuation | Khan Academy (5:11)

▪ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmRMfFVw6NE

Literary Analysis

▪ The thesis statement is one of the (if not the) most important parts of your paper—think of it as the foundation of a house—if your foundation is weak and poorly constructed, what do you think happens to the house?

▪ WHAT: What claim are you making about the text?

▪ WHY: Why should we care? Why is your claim important? Your thesis should answer the “so what?” question.

▪Thesis Starter (Although, Since, Because, Unless, Even though, Through)

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▪Dependent Clause, (Introductory information)

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▪Independent Clause (What is your literary position?)

▪Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature.

▪ Through Paul’s experience behind the lines, at a Russian prisoner of war camp, and especially under bombardment in the

trenches, Erich Maria Remarque realistically shows how war dehumanizes a man.

▪ Through the use of images and symbols in The Catcher

in the Rye, Salinger reveals many subtleties about Holden's sensitive personality.

▪ “Using Ellipses to Omit Words from a Quotation.” Indiana University of Pennsylvania – Writing Center. iup.edu/writingcenter

▪ “Ellipses. ” Grammar Book. grammarbook.com/punctuation/ellipses