1. Ellipsis to Show Omission

2. ELLIPSIS (. . .) to show OMISSION RULE #1
Omission: something that has been purposely left out or excluded.
Omission Rule #1:
An ellipsis can be used to show omission in a quote.
This can help you shorten a long quote.

3. NO OMISSION: “A Virginia man was caught shoplifting at a Halloween Express store. He agreed to wear a Bert costume and hold a sign in front of the store that says, ‘I got caught shoplifting at Halloween Express.’ The young man will do this for two days. The deal was worked out between the shoplifter and the store owner. The young man is lucky he is not being charged with a crime.”
REWRITTEN WITH OMISSION: Rather than pressing charges, the owner of a Virginia costume store is requiring a shoplifter “to wear a Bert costume and hold a sign in front of the store that says, ‘I got caught shoplifting at Halloween Express.’ The young man is lucky he is not being charged with a crime.” 1

4. NO OMISSION: 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.”
REWRITTEN WITH OMISSION: 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.”

5. ELLIPSIS (. . .) to show OMISSION RULE #1
You may only use an ellipsis to omit information and shorten a quote if the meaning remains unchanged.
Do not use an ellipsis to change the quote, or to say something other than what the author or speaker originally intended.

6. The last sentence contains an omission that falsely changes the quote.
NO OMISSION: “A Virginia man was caught shoplifting at a Halloween Express store. He agreed to wear a Bert costume and hold a sign in front of the store that says, ‘I got caught shoplifting at Halloween Express.’ The young man will do this for two days. The deal was worked out between the shoplifter and the store owner. The young man is lucky he is not being charged with a crime.” REWRITTEN INCORRECTLY WITH OMISSION: Rather than pressing charges, the owner of a Virginia costume store is requiring a shoplifter “to wear a Bert costume and hold a sign in front of the store that says, ‘I got caught shoplifting at Halloween Express.’ The young man is lucky he is being charged with a crime.
The last sentence contains an omission that falsely changes the quote.

7. NO OMISSION: 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.”
REWRITTEN INCORRECTLY WITH OMISSION: John F. Kennedy made a promise in his inaugural speech: “Let every nation know the success of liberty.”
The last sentence contains an omission that falsely changes the quote.

8. Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune
Use the passage below to answer the questions on your handout.
The tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot leave home. They say that Jupiter punished him so, because he was such a lazy stay-at-home that he would not go to Jupiter's wedding, even when especially invited. After many years, tortoise began to wish he had gone to that wedding. When he saw how happily the birds flew about and how the hare and the chipmunk and all the other animals ran nimbly by, always eager to see everything there was to be seen, the tortoise felt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too, and there he was with a house on his back and little short legs that could hardly drag him along. One day he met a pair of ducks and told them all his trouble. "We can help you to see the world," said the ducks. "Take hold of this stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or you will be sorry." The tortoise was very glad indeed. He seized the stick firmly with his teeth, the two ducks took hold of it one at each end, and away they sailed up toward the clouds. Just then a crow flew by. He was very much astonished at the strange sight and cried: "This must surely be the King of Tortoises!" "Why certainly——" began the tortoise. But as he opened his mouth to say these foolish words he lost his hold on the stick, and down he fell to the ground, where he was dashed to pieces on a rock.
Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune

9. Guided Practice-ANSWER KEY
Make sure your PUNCTUATION is correct!
2. How did the ducks plan to help the tortoise see the world?
The ducks told him to “take hold of this stick and you can see the whole countryside.”
3. What happened when the crow saw the tortoise?
“He was very much astonished and cried: ‘This must surely be the King of Tortoises!’“
4. How did the tortoise react to the crow's question?
“As he opened his mouth he lost his hold on the stick, and down he fell to the ground ”