Can I use Ellipsis at the beginning of a quote?
The quote I used had multiple sentences and I only wanted a few of the sentences so I took out part of the quote.
"...The witness for the state, with the exception of the sheriff of Maycomb County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption---the evil assumption---that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their calibre.”
Is it okay if I used ellipsis like this?
ellipsis
New contributor
add a comment |
The quote I used had multiple sentences and I only wanted a few of the sentences so I took out part of the quote.
"...The witness for the state, with the exception of the sheriff of Maycomb County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption---the evil assumption---that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their calibre.”
Is it okay if I used ellipsis like this?
ellipsis
New contributor
1
It is not usual to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote (unless you are starting in mid-sentence). By definition, a quotation is normally only an extract from the source document - so it follows that there would have been other text before the beginning of the quotation. In your case - because of the length of the quotation - personally, I would have made the quotation a separate paragraph (possibly indented) by itself (as I have done in amending your question).
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
P.S. Are you sure that you have transcribed the quotation correctly - because your first sentence has a singular person followed by a plural verb (The witness ... have presented ...)?
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
2
If you put the quotation in an indent, and it's not the start of a sentence but starts with a lowercase letter, I would use an ellipsis. But if it's the start of a sentence (regardless of where in the original), then using an ellipsis makes no sense to me.
– Jason Bassford
4 hours ago
add a comment |
The quote I used had multiple sentences and I only wanted a few of the sentences so I took out part of the quote.
"...The witness for the state, with the exception of the sheriff of Maycomb County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption---the evil assumption---that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their calibre.”
Is it okay if I used ellipsis like this?
ellipsis
New contributor
The quote I used had multiple sentences and I only wanted a few of the sentences so I took out part of the quote.
"...The witness for the state, with the exception of the sheriff of Maycomb County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption---the evil assumption---that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their calibre.”
Is it okay if I used ellipsis like this?
ellipsis
ellipsis
New contributor
New contributor
edited 4 hours ago
TrevorD
10.6k22257
10.6k22257
New contributor
asked 4 hours ago
Hannah HostetterHannah Hostetter
61
61
New contributor
New contributor
1
It is not usual to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote (unless you are starting in mid-sentence). By definition, a quotation is normally only an extract from the source document - so it follows that there would have been other text before the beginning of the quotation. In your case - because of the length of the quotation - personally, I would have made the quotation a separate paragraph (possibly indented) by itself (as I have done in amending your question).
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
P.S. Are you sure that you have transcribed the quotation correctly - because your first sentence has a singular person followed by a plural verb (The witness ... have presented ...)?
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
2
If you put the quotation in an indent, and it's not the start of a sentence but starts with a lowercase letter, I would use an ellipsis. But if it's the start of a sentence (regardless of where in the original), then using an ellipsis makes no sense to me.
– Jason Bassford
4 hours ago
add a comment |
1
It is not usual to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote (unless you are starting in mid-sentence). By definition, a quotation is normally only an extract from the source document - so it follows that there would have been other text before the beginning of the quotation. In your case - because of the length of the quotation - personally, I would have made the quotation a separate paragraph (possibly indented) by itself (as I have done in amending your question).
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
P.S. Are you sure that you have transcribed the quotation correctly - because your first sentence has a singular person followed by a plural verb (The witness ... have presented ...)?
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
2
If you put the quotation in an indent, and it's not the start of a sentence but starts with a lowercase letter, I would use an ellipsis. But if it's the start of a sentence (regardless of where in the original), then using an ellipsis makes no sense to me.
– Jason Bassford
4 hours ago
1
1
It is not usual to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote (unless you are starting in mid-sentence). By definition, a quotation is normally only an extract from the source document - so it follows that there would have been other text before the beginning of the quotation. In your case - because of the length of the quotation - personally, I would have made the quotation a separate paragraph (possibly indented) by itself (as I have done in amending your question).
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
It is not usual to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote (unless you are starting in mid-sentence). By definition, a quotation is normally only an extract from the source document - so it follows that there would have been other text before the beginning of the quotation. In your case - because of the length of the quotation - personally, I would have made the quotation a separate paragraph (possibly indented) by itself (as I have done in amending your question).
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
P.S. Are you sure that you have transcribed the quotation correctly - because your first sentence has a singular person followed by a plural verb (The witness ... have presented ...)?
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
P.S. Are you sure that you have transcribed the quotation correctly - because your first sentence has a singular person followed by a plural verb (The witness ... have presented ...)?
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
2
2
If you put the quotation in an indent, and it's not the start of a sentence but starts with a lowercase letter, I would use an ellipsis. But if it's the start of a sentence (regardless of where in the original), then using an ellipsis makes no sense to me.
– Jason Bassford
4 hours ago
If you put the quotation in an indent, and it's not the start of a sentence but starts with a lowercase letter, I would use an ellipsis. But if it's the start of a sentence (regardless of where in the original), then using an ellipsis makes no sense to me.
– Jason Bassford
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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1
It is not usual to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a quote (unless you are starting in mid-sentence). By definition, a quotation is normally only an extract from the source document - so it follows that there would have been other text before the beginning of the quotation. In your case - because of the length of the quotation - personally, I would have made the quotation a separate paragraph (possibly indented) by itself (as I have done in amending your question).
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
P.S. Are you sure that you have transcribed the quotation correctly - because your first sentence has a singular person followed by a plural verb (The witness ... have presented ...)?
– TrevorD
4 hours ago
2
If you put the quotation in an indent, and it's not the start of a sentence but starts with a lowercase letter, I would use an ellipsis. But if it's the start of a sentence (regardless of where in the original), then using an ellipsis makes no sense to me.
– Jason Bassford
4 hours ago