How to Show Breaks in Excerpts
- 1). Use three dots only to signify missing words in a quote. Most style guides use spaces between the dots -- period-space-period-space-period, or . . . -- and there should be a space in front of the ellipsis and another one after the ellipsis. Don't surround the ellipsis with parentheses or brackets.
- 2). Use four dots only when the ellipsis follows or precedes the end of a sentence. The fourth dot is not part of the ellipsis but is the period at the end of the sentence. If the missing part of the phrase comes at the end of a sentence, use three dots to signify the missing words and then end the sentence with a period. If the missing part of the quote comes after the end of a sentence, type the period at the end of the sentence. Insert a space and then the three dots of the ellipsis.
- 3). Keep the three dots of the ellipsis on one line. Space the line so that all the dots stay together, rather than having one or two dots drop down to the next line.
- 4). Avoid using an ellipsis at the beginning or end of a quote.
- 5). Use the punctuation used in the quote, which means the ellipsis might be followed or preceded by a comma, semicolon, question mark or exclamation point depending on where the missing words were located in the quote.
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