What Is An Ellipse In Writing
Ellipsis
Rules and Examples
The ellipsis (…) is a form of punctuation used in written English language.
Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses
Note:
- Ellipsis is the singular form of the word, meaning one.
- Ellipses is the plural form of the word, meaning more than one ellipsis.
The ellipsis is also known to some asdot-dot-dot because it consists of three periods, or dots, in a row.
The first part of this lesson will focus on when to use ellipses in writing.
The second part of this lesson will describe how to create ellipses on a word processor.
When to use ellipses
1. Use an ellipsis to show an omission, or leaving out, of a word or words in a quote. Use ellipses to shorten the quote without changing the meaning.
For example:
- "After school I went to her house, which was a few blocks away, and then came home."
Shorten the quote by replacing a few words with an ellipsis. Remember, the meaning of the quote should not change.
- "After school I went to her house … and then came home."
We removed the words "which was a few blocks away" and replaced them with an ellipsis without changing the meaning of the original quote.
2. Use an ellipsis to show a pause in a thought or to create suspense. (Suspense is when a reader is excited to know what is going to happen next.)
Examples:
- She opened the door . . . and saw . . . a cake!
- I was thinking . . . maybe we should call home.
This use of ellipses is very common in informal (friendly) letters and emails.
3. Use an ellipsis to show a break, or trailing off, of a thought.
Examples:
- I know I saw my keys somewhere . . .
- "I'm not sure what to do . . .," he said.
- I never thought . . .
How to make an ellipsis
An ellipsis is made of three dots called ellipsis points. Ellipses are exactly three dots, not two or four.
1) On a word processor, type three periods with spaces in between.
period-space-period-space-period-space
This type of ellipsis is usually used to show a pause or a trailing thought as in the examples in rules 2 and 3 above.
Examples:
- She opened the door . . . and saw . . . a cake!
- I was thinking . . . maybe we should call home.
Examples:
- I know I saw my keys somewhere . . .
- I never thought . . .
- "I'm not sure what to do . . .," he said.
2) Many word processing programs will automatically create ellipses if you type three periods in a row. Just type a space, three periods, and a second space and move on to the next word. The ellipsis will look smaller than three spaced out periods.
Correct: We went to the city … and arrived home after midnight.
The word processing program automatically created an ellipsis when I
typed three periods without spaces in between.
3) If the ellipsis is in the place of a word or part of a sentence, leave a space on each side of the ellipsis.
For example:
- (Without an ellipsis)
We went to the city, shopped, ate lunch and arrived home after midnight. - (With an ellipsis, removing the words "shopped, ate lunch")
We went to the city … and arrived home after midnight.
4) If the ellipsis is used to replace words at the end of a sentence, it should be followed by a period (.), question mark (?) or exclamation point (!) to end the sentence.
4. Use an ellipsis with a period to shorten a quote.
If the ellipsis is followed by a period, then you will have 4 dots.
For example:
- She said, "I like apples, oranges and bananas because they are all fruits."
- She said, "I like apples, oranges and bananas … ."
5. Use an ellipsis with a question mark after a trailing thought.
Examples:
- Why would he do that . . . ?
- Where is she . . . ?
6. Use an ellipsis with an exclamation point to show excitement after a pause.
Examples:
- Wow . . .!
- I cannot believe you did that . . .!
In summary, the ellipsis is a form of punctuation used in writing the English language. It can be used to show an omission, to show a pause or create suspense, or to show a break in a thought. An ellipsis is made by using three periods in a row.
These were the uses of the ellipsis. Now that you know them, it is time to practice! Read and do exercises.
What Is An Ellipse In Writing
Source: https://www.really-learn-english.com/ellipsis.html
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