1
“The committee reviewed the proposal … before issuing its final recommendation.”
8 Ellipsis Examples
Use these examples to study structure, specificity, tone, and variation. They are demonstrations—not claims about a real person or organization unless the example itself makes that explicit.
Before you copy
What to notice in the examples
A useful ellipsis has a clear function and follows the relevant style convention; it should not become a general-purpose substitute for pauses, commas, dashes, or vague dramatic emphasis.
- Use an ellipsis to mark omitted words when the omission does not distort the source’s meaning.
- Use an ellipsis for trailing speech only when that effect is genuinely intended.
- Follow the required house style for spacing and punctuation around ellipses.
- Preserve enough surrounding context that readers can understand the omission fairly.
2
“I thought we could…” Nila looked toward the closed door.
3
The quoted passage omits two descriptive sentences with an ellipsis but keeps the author’s conclusion intact.
4
“Maybe tomorrow…” he said, letting the answer fade.
5
The transcript uses an em dash—not an ellipsis—when one speaker cuts another off.
6
The editor removed an unnecessary “…” after every heading.
7
When several paragraphs are omitted from a source, the required citation style should determine how the omission is shown.
8
An ellipsis can shorten a quotation, but the writer still needs to explain what the retained words demonstrate.
Keep the underlying decision or pattern, then replace the subject, evidence, relationship, constraints, and tone with details that belong to your situation. If your final line still works after swapping only one noun, it may be too close to the example.