Question

shortening a quotation with an ellipsis
four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
—\the gettysburg address,\ abraham lincoln
which quotation correctly uses an ellipsis to shorten lincolns words?
\four score and seven years ago . . . a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.\
\four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent . . . and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.\
\four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation . . . dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.\

Explanation:

An ellipsis correctly shortens a quotation by removing non-essential words while preserving the original meaning and grammatical flow, without distorting the core message.

1. The first option removes critical context about who created the nation, altering the quote's intent.
2. The second option removes the description of the nation being "conceived in Liberty", which is a key part of the original statement.
3. The third option removes only the phrase ", conceived in Liberty, and", which is a non-essential clause for retaining the core claim about the nation's founding and its dedication to equality, while keeping the quote grammatically coherent and true to the original meaning.

Answer:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation . . . dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."