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The Final, in Fewer Words

Edit quotations from a girls’ soccer final report, using ellipses to show precise omissions while preserving the source.

Grade 8ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.8.2.b

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 Common Core standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 13 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 8
Subject
ELA
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students use ellipses to mark exact omissions within quotations.
  • Students compare shortened quotations with sources to check wording, order, and meaning.

How to use

Read the report and editing conventions first. Have students compare each excerpt with its source, then discuss how an accurate cut differs from a rewritten quotation.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.8.2.b

Use an ellipsis to show where words were left out.

Preview

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Name Date

The Final, in Fewer Words

Mark omissions without rewriting the record.

Read the sports report

Read the report. In this worksheet, use … or three dots (...) for an ellipsis. Each ellipsis marks one continuous group of omitted words inside a quotation. Keep retained words in their original order.

Two Actions Behind One Winning Goal

1The girls’ district soccer final ended with Westfield defeating Stonebrook, 2–1, but the winning goal began far from the goal line. With the score tied late in the second half, Westfield midfielder Zadie collected a loose ball near midfield. She looked toward the crowded center, then sent a pass into open space along the right side.

2Forward Marisol reached the pass before a defender could turn. Instead of shooting from a difficult angle, she returned the ball toward Zadie, who had continued running. Zadie’s shot crossed the goal line just inside the post. The teammates met near the corner flag while the other Westfield players hurried over.

3Stonebrook had scored first after a quick exchange of passes. Westfield’s equalizer came before halftime, when defender Linh headed in a corner kick. After the break, Stonebrook pressed forward, forcing Westfield goalkeeper Rukaya to leave her line twice to collect the ball. Neither team had much room to settle into a comfortable rhythm.

4After the final whistle, student reporter Tamsin asked Zadie about the winning play. “I sent the ball wide because the center was crowded, and Marisol gave it back when I reached the box,” Zadie explained. Asked about the finish, she added, “The shot was mine, but the opening came from our movement together.”

5Tamsin’s first draft followed the ball from midfield to the net. The school sports page, however, had room for only a brief report and one photograph. Her editor asked her to shorten the quotations rather than squeeze the entire interview into the available space. Tamsin opened her notes beside the draft and checked each proposed cut against the original wording.

6The photograph showed Zadie striking the ball, with Marisol near the edge of the frame. The editor worried that dropping Marisol’s return pass from the quotation would make the goal seem like a solo effort. The headline still needed to include the final score and both school names. Before publication, Tamsin marked the words she removed and read the shortened quotations aloud, checking that the cuts had not changed what the players meant.

1.
Which concern guides the editor’s decision about shortening Zadie’s account?
  • A. The quotation should preserve another player’s role in creating the goal.
  • B. The quotation should describe the photograph’s arrangement more closely.
  • C. The quotation should give more space to Zadie’s shooting technique.
  • D. The quotation should explain Stonebrook’s earlier scoring opportunity.
2.
Underline the sentence from paragraph 6 that directly explains how removing the return pass could change readers’ understanding of the goal.

The photograph showed Zadie striking the ball, with Marisol near the edge of the frame.The editor worried that dropping Marisol’s return pass from the quotation would make the goal seem like a solo effort.The headline still needed to include the final score and both school names.Before publication, Tamsin marked the words she removed and read the shortened quotations aloud, checking that the cuts had not changed what the players meant.

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