Ellipsis: is a punctuation mark (…) used to demonstrate the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete, a sudden leap from one topic to another or a mark (as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause
Rules for using the ellipsis:
Rule 1
Use no more than three marks whether the omission occurs in the middle of a sentence or between sentences.
Example:
Original sentence:
The regulation states, “All agencies must document overtime or risk losing federal funds.”
Rewritten using ellipses:
The regulation states, “All agencies must document overtime…”
NOTE: With the three-dot method, you may leave out punctuation such as commas that were in the original.
Example:
Original sentence from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
Rewritten using ellipses:
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth…a new nation, conceived in liberty…”
Rule 2
When you omit one or more paragraphs within a long quotation, use ellipsis marks after the last punctuation mark that ends the preceding paragraph.