Ellipsis Omission Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: L.8.2.B

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

You might have noticed these three periods with a space between (. . . ) them in many forms of informal communication whether it be electronic or on paper. These three simple dots are called an ellipsis. You might even notice that many messaging apps using a moving form of them to show activity on the other side. These often signify an omission or a trailing off thought. I find myself using ellipses when I have a lot more to say about something, but know that it is not the best venue to display it in. These worksheets will help students learn the proper usage and placement of ellipses.

Ellipsis Omission Worksheets:

Indicate Omission – What is the point of the use of each ellipsis in every sentence we show you?

Uses of the Ellipsis – A quick matching activity to get students on the ball.

Writing with an Ellipsis – We use an ellipsis when working with the thought of time passage, unfinished thoughts, and quotations.

Understanding the Ellipsis – See if you can figure out the purpose of shorting the sentence.

Leave It Out... – Why do we shorten the use of quotes?

The Story of the Ellipsis – Don't forget there is a space before and after the ellipsis and between each dot.

Writing: The Ellipsis – Work on a little diddy by Orville and Wilbur Wright.

The Ellipsis: Omitting Text – See if you can complete this whole quotation.

Jump Of The Lilly Pad – We look at two different addressees by Gorbachev.

Change Around Us... – The concept of "the right thing to do" differs totally based on your point of view.

Quotations and the Ellipsis – Read the assigned text. On a separate sheet of paper, write three sentences that quote from the text.

Ellipsis It Home – Write two original sentences that demonstrate two different uses of the ellipsis.

Complete The Quote – Practice shortening quotations for your research project.

Making Quotations Manageable – Read the assigned text then write four sentences that quote from the text, using an ellipsis.

The Ellipsis – Identify what the ellipsis in each sentence indicates.

When to use an Ellipsis


Ellipsis (…) is a set of dots used to punctuate certain statements usually using three period marks either at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Ellipsis is used to indicate an exclusion of speech or writing and for many other purposes. Most words that are hard to understand and their presence or absence does not influence the meaning of the content are sometimes deliberately omitted from the text. To show that some part of a statement is omitted from the speech, we use ellipsis in place of the omitted part.


Ellipsis is important as they save effort, space, and time but are also technical to use. Inappropriate and continuous usage of ellipsis can distort the whole meaning of the content. Therefore, writers and other laymen need to know when and how to use ellipsis. Given below are some ways to correctly use ellipsis in sentences:


Using Ellipsis in Beginning of a Sentence


Words, phrases, or sentences can be omitted from any part of the content, but it is common to exclude words from the beginning of the content. In this case, ellipsis is used at the start of the sentences and the first letter of the word following ellipsis is bracketed and capitalized.


Using Ellipsis to Create Suspense


Using ellipsis is the best way to create suspense as well as to indicate a change in the mood of the writer. We can also use an ellipsis to indicate shyness, stress, confusion, and other behavioral patterns. For example, "With a grin on his face... he said... go away" creates suspense, and "Actually... I do not like..." indicates hesitation.


Using Ellipsis to Indicate Pauses


Ellipsis can also be used to indicate a break or a pause in a smooth flow of phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.


Using Ellipsis to Indicate Incomplete Quote


Ellipsis used at the end of a famous quote or fact expresses incompleteness. However, such an application of ellipsis is adapted only when the writer already knows about the background knowledge of the reader and is sure that the reader can understand the omitted part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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