When do i use an ellipse

If the omission comes after the end of a sentence, the ellipsis will be placed after the period, making a total of four dots. See how that works? Notice that there is no space between the period and the last character of the sentence.

The ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence and is especially useful in quoted speech:.

Note carefully the spacing of the ellipsis marks and the surrounding characters in the examples above. In mid-sentence, a space should appear between the first and last ellipsis marks and the surrounding letters. If a quotation is meant to trail off as in Juan's bemused thought , leave a space between the last letter and the first ellipsis mark but do not include a period with the ellipsis marks.

If words are left off at the end of a sentence, and that is all that is omitted, indicate the omission with ellipsis marks preceded and followed by a space and then indicate the end of the sentence with a period …. What are ellipses? An ellipsis You probably see ellipses everywhere, including text messages, emails and social networking. However, the ellipsis serves a particular use in both formal and informal styles of writing.

Try following some of these simple guidelines as to when ellipses should be used — and when they should not. Knowing when to use ellipses and how to use ellipses is one of the Common Core state standards for eighth grade language.

The two main purposes of ellipses in text are:. According to the MLA and Chicago manuals of style, an ellipsis is three periods with a space in between each [. The AP style guide prefers three dots with no spaces in between [ News reports compile information to present to the population.

Sometimes when a news report includes a quote, parts of the quote are unnecessary to the story. An ellipsis can replace this unnecessary part of the quote. For example, if a fire broke out and a fire chief gave the following quote, most of the quote would likely be considered unnecessary:.

Readers get the same idea in a shorter amount of time with the second sentence. The newspaper saves valuable space for more information, and the readers don't need to spend time with unnecessary wording.

Ellipses can express hesitation, changes of mood, suspense, or thoughts trailing off. Writers also use ellipses to indicate a pause or wavering in an otherwise straightforward sentence.

Examples: I don't know … I'm not sure. Pride is one thing, but what happens if she …? He said, "I … really don't … understand this.

Enable JavaScript Uh oh! Hide Notice. Definition An ellipsis plural: ellipses is a punctuation mark consisting of three dots. They are useful in getting right to the point without delay or distraction: Full quotation: "Today, after hours of careful thought, we vetoed the bill.

Some writers and editors feel that no spaces are necessary. Example: I don't know…I'm not sure. A commonly used method we favor is to enclose the ellipsis with a space on each side.