![]() | The MHRA Style Guide OnlineA Handbook for Authors and Editors • Third Edition |
From Chapter 9, 'Quotations and Quotation Marks'
9.6 Omissions
Omissions within prose quotations should be marked by an ellipsis (three points within square brackets; see 5.7). Omitted lines of verse should be marked by an ellipsis on a separate line:
I am not covetous for gold,
[…]
But if it be a sin to covet honour
I am the most offending soul alive.
It is not normally necessary to use an ellipsis at the beginning or end of a quotation; almost all quotations will be taken from a larger context and there is usually no need to indicate this obvious fact unless the sense of the passage quoted is manifestly incomplete.
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