by Laura Jones
Updated on January 9, 2024
How to use ellipses in English
Ellipses are a set of three dots that serve as a punctuation mark, as seen above. The plural form of ellipsis is ellipses. The word ellipsis has its origin in a Greek term that means to omit or exclude. They are used to exclude words from a sentence or to indicate an incomplete thought or sentence. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the use of ellipses in English.
As mentioned, an ellipsis is a series of three dots. It can come at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a sentence. If it comes at the end of a sentence, you usually need to use a punctuation mark after it, especially in formal writing.
Whether you leave spaces around or between the dots depends on which style you follow. According to the Oxford Style Guide, you should leave a space before and after the dots, but not between them. This is the style we’re using here. However, other style guides prefer spaces between each dot.
Whatever style you decide on, stay consistent.
We can use an ellipsis to show that we have deliberately missed out on part of a sentence, quotation or phrase. We do this when we need to leave less relevant information out to make a sentence more readable or easier to understand. Ellipses help us save space in our writing.
If you want to miss out on the beginning of the sentence, a lot of writers use an ellipsis plus a capital letter in square brackets:
Other writers don’t think the ellipsis is necessary here. You can choose which style you prefer, but don’t change your mind halfway through your writing!
Ellipses are often used in more formal writing, especially in academic writing when you are quoting something or someone else. Here’s a quotation from Jane Austen, an English writer, to show how we might do it:
We can shorten it like this:
We can also use an ellipsis to show a pause or hesitation in speech or thought. We use an ellipsis in this way when we are reporting what someone said or thought. Similarly, we can use an ellipsis to show suspense or a change in mood. We usually use this in informal writing; not in formal or academic writing.
Let’s look at some examples of this:
As you can see, in these informal sentences, if the ellipsis is at the end of a phrase or sentence, we don’t need to use a full stop.
Ellipses are useful in our writing. But, sometimes we can have too much of a good thing. In recent years, people have been using an ellipsis more and more often.
They might use it to replace a different punctuation mark:
In correct written language, this should be a question mark, not an ellipsis.
People also use it to show a place where we say um or erm if we were speaking. You might get emails that look like this:
There shouldn’t be any ellipses in those sentences. The email would be much clearer and look more professional if it was written like this:
So, use ellipses with care!
In conclusion, ellipses are a powerful tool in the English language that can convey a range of emotions and ideas. However, it is crucial to understand their function and proper usage to avoid miscommunication or confusion. By mastering the use of ellipses, writers and yourself can add depth and nuance to any writing, making it more engaging and effective. So, next time you use ellipses, remember to use them wisely!
