Apologies if this has already been answered, I have searched but couldn't find anything. Also I'm not using American English, so periods are outside of the quotations by default.
What's the correct way to include an excerpt from a quote at the end of a sentence?
He described it as "...terrible, an absolute disgrace...". Other locals agree with him.
He described it as "...terrible, an absolute disgrace..." Other locals agree with him.
He described it as "...terrible, an absolute disgrace". Other locals agree with him.
I would have guessed the third answer is correct, however not including the "..." seems wrong, as it implies that the quote actually ends, but I may be wrong.
Answer
You do not need to include the ellipsis on either side of the quoted text—because the quote does not begin with a capital letter, it is implied that it is not the start of a sentence. Additionally, there is no reason to make clear that the sentence does not end with the quoted material you've provided.
Both are unnecessary.
In fact, most good writers avoid quoting complete sentences because in most situations, the significance that you, the author, are highlighting is found in only a handful of words.
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