Edit WordPress excerpts

functions.php

// Replaces the excerpt "Read More" text by a link
function new_excerpt_more($more) {
       global $post;
	return '... <a class="read-more-link" href="'. get_permalink($post->ID) . '">Read More</a>';
}
add_filter('excerpt_more', 'new_excerpt_more');




// change excerpt length

function custom_excerpt_length( $length ) {
	return 39;
}
add_filter( 'excerpt_length', 'custom_excerpt_length', 999 );