Ellipsis Practice

Identify what purpose the ellipsis in each sentence indicates.

“I was thinking . . .” Karen began to say.

• To omit or take text out of a quotation or text passage.

• To show hesitation or an unfinished thought.

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Identify what purpose the ellipsis in each sentence indicates.

“I couldn’t help noticing . . .” Mark’s voice trailed off

• To omit or take text out of a quotation or text passage.

• To show hesitation or an unfinished thought.

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Identify what purpose the ellipsis in each sentence indicates.

• To omit or take text out of a quotation or text passage.

• To show hesitation or an unfinished thought.

Why would a writer use an ellipsis?

• to indicate a thought trailing off or fading away

• to indicate a pause, like when someone is thinking what to say

• to cut out certain words from a quote to make it shorter and easier to understand

• ALL OF THE ABOVE

Answer explanation

A writer uses an ellipsis to indicate a thought trailing off, to show a pause in speech, or to omit words in a quote. Therefore, the correct answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Which of the following is NOT what you would use an ellipsis for?

• to list items

• to show that time has passed or will pass before the next event

  (to be continued)

• to show that a character's voice is trailing off

• to eliminate extra words from a quote

Answer explanation

An ellipsis is not used to list items; it serves to indicate omitted text, a trailing voice, or a pause in time. Therefore, 'to list items' is the correct choice as it does not align with the functions of an ellipsis.