I see this type of syntax often, but I do not know how, when or where they should be used.
"It is the case that […] the inconvenience is altogether imaginary."
Is it okay to use if I need to insert a quotation into an essay, but the quote is long and I want to omit the irrelevant parts? Am I allowed to use the syntax multiple times per quotation ?
Best Answer
Square brackets are used in quotes to mark information that was not in the original quote. This applies equally to added words and omitted words.
Compare
and
In the first, the speaker is pondering something; the question is somewhat rhetorical. In the second, the question is literal.
Edit: yes, you can use this multiple times in a quotation. Just be careful not to leave out so much that the quote becomes incomprehensible, or worse, changes meaning.