Joe here. Please note that I created the title above as an intentionally incorrect use of ellipses. I realized while writing it that if I didn't tell you it was incorrect, Liz might stab me in the eye with her red pen. Anyway, on to the post!
Liz here. Here at the Write Practice, we have love for all punctuation marks: commas, semicolons, question marks. Today we're discussing that trio of periods that make up the ellipsis.
What's an ellipsis?
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What Is An Ellipsis?
An ellipsis is a trio of periods (…) that serve as a placeholder for text. It's most commonly used in undergraduate history papers that require copious citations.
For example, the writer Oscar Wilde says in The Picture of Dorian Gray:
“Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?”
If I were editing this quote to be used in newsprint, where type space is precious, I might use an ellipsis to make it read as such:
Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! … Was there anything so real as words?
The idea of the text is preserved, and space is conserved.
Easy Keyboard Shortcut for… an Ellipsis
By the way, there's an easy keyboard shortcut for an ellipses too.
Here’s the shortcut for a single-character ellipsis:
alt/option + semicolon (;)
I find it especially useful on Twitter when you really can’t afford to spare those two extra characters.
When Ellipses Go Wrong
On occasion, you might see an ellipsis used as an indication of a pause in speech, a place where the writer or speaker has lost their train of thought. Such as:
Well yes, Dorian, the retrieval of post-modern socie … is that a bunny?
This is perfectly acceptable, as long as your protagonist isn't losing their train of thought every other paragraph. Too many ellipses can detract from the effectiveness of the prose (and some readers and writers find it irritating to no end).
In summation, if you're removing text from a quotation (while keeping the meaning intact, of course), then use the ellipsis.
If you have a mental space cadet for a main character, you might want to tone down your desire to use those dots.
How Many Periods Are There In An Ellipses?
You might wonder just how many dots should be in an ellipsis. The answer is that sometimes there are three! Sometimes there are four!
That's a lie, actually. There is no such thing as a four-dot ellipsis. A four-dot ellipsis is actually an ellipsis with a period at the end of it. It's important to remember that you still should punctuate properly even if you're using an ellipsis.
When using ellipses in conjunction with other punctuation, whether they be commas, semicolons, question marks, or exclamation points, treat the ellipsis as though it was just another word in the sentence.
Ellipsis Examples
For example, if Chuck and Carlton just escaped an encounter with a rabid hamster, and are interviewed by the local paper, a journalist might choose to eliminate some of the more superfluous text.
Chuck might say: “I never expected this! Never in a million years! I can't believe that I managed to escape with my life. Carlton almost got bitten, right after the thing started turning purple. We're lucky to be alive.”
The journalist, with precious type space available, cuts it down to this: “I never expected this! … We're lucky to be alive.”
Note that the exclamation point remains in place, while the ellipsis follows it to replace the omitted words. This would be the same if other portions were eliminated. (“I can't believe that I managed to escape with my life. … We're lucky to be alive.”)
Need more grammar help? My favorite tool that helps find grammar problems and even generates reports to help improve my writing is… ProWritingAid. Works with Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, and web browsers. Also, be sure to use my coupon code to get 20 percent off: WritePractice20
How about you? Do you use ellipses in your writing? Let us know in the comments section.
PRACTICE
Write for fifteen minutes about a spacey-yet-brilliant fan of classic literature. Use ellipses properly as your character spouts lines from Wilde, Shakespeare, Emerson, or their preferred writer.
So … now I know! A request – at some point can you write about dialogue, quotation marks and how to do paragraphing during a dialogue. I am so confused … not to mention frustrated.
Was that a correct use of ellipsis?
And … by the way, my query about dialogue arises from true need.
Thank you.
Request noted! Look for an answer next week. 🙂
Thank you.
Liz can i ask some query? oh please, i really need to know it.
Maybe I can help you with dialogue questions…
I am currently reading “Trust No One” by Gregg Hurwitz. Every time he uses an ellipsis, he ends the preceding word with the letter “j.” Examples: I just can’t … ; They thought she’d be morej … docile; He just diedj… .
Have you ever seen this combination? Do you know if it has a meaning,and, if so, what that meaning is?
Hey Dori. How strange! I looked this up and it sounds like a glitch with the printing. He doesn’t seem to do that with his other books, as far as I can tell from a quick glance. But to answer your question, no, that isn’t normal or recommended!
THANK YOU. Seriously. I know so many people…who use them like this…for no apparent reason. Drives me nuts.
You are so welcome, Bethany. Joe actually alerted me to your ellipsis request, so thank YOU for providing me with inspiration this week!
I knew a guy who used ellipses like that, and he considered himself a good writer. He also liked to ramble on in “sentences” that were about 90 words in length. They were packed full of multi syllabic words, so when readers didn’t know what the heck he was trying to say, he’d attribute it to their lack of intelligence, rather than his agreement errors and dangling participles (oy!).
He finally found a vanity publisher who appreciated his literary genius (and payments for services rendered).
Please, keep spreading the word about proper punctuation and usage.
Maybe, that’s the point…?
Such a useful post, Liz. And you managed to make a potentially dull topic entertaining. 🙂 Thanks!
You are so welcome, August! And thank you for the kind words. 🙂
Thank you for clarifying the proper use of Ellipses…that is in fact a bunny.
I’m partial to puppies, myself, but there is something to be said for a fluffy bunny.
Can you say that while stuffing marshmallows in your mouth?
martial moo muppiessss. martial mooo muppiess.
I think he means the fluffy bunny part. You’ve never played that game, JHB?
Yes I have. But I thought he meant puppies instead of bunnies.
I love Ellipses….I use them all the time! And, I just learned…I use them the WRONG WAY….convicted!
Haha, glad we can help guide you to the light, Ryan!
… 🙂 wow.
When using an ellipsis that goes over a period you should add a fourth dot. Right?
There are surely more rules to using an ellipsis than you have stated.
For example:
“They went to the mall. While they were there, they got ice cream. It was good, and they had a good time.”
If I used an ellipsis I would say:
“They went to the mall . . . . and had a good time.”
There are absolutely more rules. Punctuation and ellipses is a blog for another day, but for your question above, you would place the period as you normally would (without a space) and then begin the ellipsis.
An Excerpt from Tomdub’s 101 (mis)Uses of Ellipses
The Suggestive Ellipsis
“He gave her a wink. ‘So, do you wanna…?’”
The Awkward Pause Ellipsis
“Not until after I walked out of my cabin did I realize it was a dude ranch, NOT nude ranch…”
The Moment of Silence Ellipsis
“Let us remember those who’ve gone before us…”
The Yada, Yada, Yada Ellipsis
“Immediately after the winner of the hot dog eating contest received his blue ribbon, he ran to the bathroom and…”
The Too Lazy to Count Ellipsis
“1-2-3… 100”
The Walked in to the Middle of a Conversation Ellipsis
“…and then he told me to bend over.”
Wow. Please tell me you’ve posted this on a blog somewhere so I can read the whole thing. Unbelievable.
Haha! I lied. There is no “Tomdub’s 101 (mis)Uses of Ellipses,” only 6…
It makes it eve better. You should post this on your blog, though. Tell me when you do and I’ll link to it in this post.
Tom – I just read this because I just got to this point in the grammar tutorial. It’s great!!!
Wonderful. If you don’t have 101… just get to 11 and then leave an ellipsis.
Call me the novice that I am, but most of these look okay to me. (Oh no! Don’t throw tomatoes!) Could someone PLEASE tell me the proper way to punctuate these examples, since the ellipsis is being misused here? Okay, actually I don’t think I would make the mistake of The Moment of Silence Ellipsis, but I’m sure I’m guilty of the others. Would a dash be preferable in the last example? I’m confused :(. (I had “I’m confused :(…” but then thought better of it and took it off—yikes!) (???)
for an ellipsis to be correct I believe there needs to be a space after the word it follows and a lot of people do not do that. I’ve found myself often putting the ellipsis right after a word. so its sort of like this. Did you mean… vs Did you mean … See the difference? Since an ellipsis replaces words it needs to be treated as a word.
Thank you. Clear explanation.
That’s unreal to my mind!! The right way looks so…wrong…
Several questions:
1. Why is The Suggestive Ellipsis, The Awkward Pause Ellipsis, and The Moment of Silence Ellipsis incorrect?
2. Is The Walked-in-to-the-Middle-of-a-Conversation Ellipsis incorrect because the ellipsis in this case should be replaced with an em dash?
3. Would any of the following be a correct way to do the 5th situation down?
Example 1: “1-2-3 … 100”
This is how you would usually do non-operator successions in mathematics with a standard ellipsis, (but in maths, one would also replace the hyphens with commas and add a comma after the 3 and before the 100.)
Example 2: “1-2-3- … -100”
This is how you would sometimes do operator successions in mathematics with a standard ellipsis (one would, of course, replace the hyphens with minus signs (which is not the same as hyphen)).
Example 3: “1-2-3…100”
Like Example 1 above, but with the spaces removed.
Example 4: “1-2-3 … -100”
This doesn’t seem correct to me at all, but I thought I’d include it for inclusion’s sake.
Example 5: “1-2-3- … 100”
This also doesn’t seem correct to me at all, but I thought I’d include it for consistency’s sake since I included Example 4 above.
How is that a misuse?
Guilty … as charged!! Thanks for the tip.
Great, concise tips.
“This is perfectly acceptable, as long as your protagonist isn’t losing their train of thought every other paragraph.” Agreed. Everything in moderation.
I now write my first drafts and then go through and remove all the ellipses I used unless they are absolutely necessary. Then I go through again and delete those.
Ha nice Chrissey. Great two step method 🙂
As a former newspaper editor, I can emphatically state that there is almost always something wrong with an ellipsis when it’s used to indicate missing text in a quote.
Let’s play with a simple quote: “I can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve been practicing like crazy for the school talent show. My guitar solo tonight is going to be awesome!”
Now if the missing text is between two complete sentences, the ellipsis should
appear as follows: “I can’t wait to get out of here. … My guitar solo tonight is going to be awesome!” (Note the space after the period ending the first sentence and the ellipsis.)
However, if the quote were changed to combine portions of two sentences, it should appear as follows: “I’ve been practicing like crazy for … [m]y guitar solo tonight …!”
Alternatively, an ellipsis can indicate text missing between paragraphs: “I can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve been practicing like crazy for the school talent show.
… My guitar solo tonight is going to be awesome!” (Starting the sentence immediately after the ellipsis indicates that a sentence or sentences are missing from the beginning of the paragraph.)
If an entire paragraph were removed, the ellipsis would appear as follows;
“I can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve been practicing like crazy for the school talent show.
…
My guitar solo tonight is going to be awesome!”
Yikes! Silly ellipsis.
Now could that be a different style guide? I wonder if MLA and Chicago have different opinions on the ellipses? Still, this is great info. Thanks Stephanie!
well i suppose it[ … ] really means what the reader thinks, howeve ri do enjoy your ponderings. I am not a professional writer but enjoy writing and reading for a better understanding. I have always wanted to use square brackets how cool is that
thanks
So… how about people who use The Yada, Yada, Yada Ellipsis but write/type it as …………………………………………
Ha. Well, yes, that would be incorrect. I like that you called it the “yada, yada, yada ellipsis.
Daphne had written to him several times and included snippets from Virginia Woolf.
She described her feelings about how she wrote fiction, and added this from “A Room of One’s Own, “A spider’s web,…still attached to life at all four corners.” She described her feelings about memories being diluted at the beginning of life and then being blindingly bright when closer to the present and added, “If life has a base that it stands on,… stands upon this memory”, a famous quote from “Moments of Being”.
The idea that recent memories were blindingly bright was not always true for Daphne. Things had become brighter since she had met him in her class, since she had decided that he was the one for her; but now, it was time for her to have a date, to go with him to dinner, and she had not mentioned in any of her notes, that she was disorganized, that her thoughts ran in circles and that speaking made it even worse, because she was shy. She thought she should warn him about her inability to make conversation, but she didn’t do it, she didn’t send this quote from “The Waves”, “The streamers of consciousness waver out and are perpetually torn…I cannot therefore concentrate on my dinner.”
He, however, had no problem talking, and could continue talking thought any activity. He talked to her as he helped her into the car, the talked to her as they waited for a table, and he talked to her in the midst of their ordering dinner.
“What do you think about her description of what Bernard is looking at in the first chapter of “The Waves? Was he the one who talked about pushing through the cabbages in the garden?”
“You mean the part about the cat or fox coming home all dirty…look they have peas on the menu…I can’t remember if there were peas in the garden or cabbage. What were you asking me… Bernard, maybe it was Louis who thought that part.”
Dear Liz, In some examples I note a space before the ellipsis, in some a space after the ellipsis. In others, such as your Mr. Wilde citation, an Einsteinian space appears on both sides of the ellipsis, making it an orphan caught in the space-time continuum. In yet others the ellipsis finds itself with no space on either side of it, fearing that it will be crushed out of existence by the weight of the universes on either side. What is a poor ellipsis user to do? (signed) A. Einstein
Oh he is brilliant my friend Al Gore! He is an inventor and his love of shrimp is paled by, by any how he loves coconut shrimp my dear. He devoured 16 pieces of those golden brown coconut encrusted beauties last time we dined. Al reminds me of those people of Spoon River like when the character Roger Heston is … Did I tell you that my friend Al was a Governor, yes can you believe it dear, what state was he governor over well let’s see perhaps Kentucky no it was Arkansas. Oh! I remember Tennessee that’s it dear.
Oh yes Roger Heston he was arguing with Earnest Hyde, he said “What’s that, free will or what?” as he ran for his life. Poor Roger
i have always wondered about the … ellipses. For me its a visual thing i like the way it makes things appear just like the word perhaps i love the sound of that word. Any how not that i will get a reply i am enjoying the idea i might…
He can be brilliant and funny, but most of the time he is just annoying. I am convinced he is a frustrated literature professor and loves taking it out on us. Hey, it’s not my fault he decided to go for Sciences instead!
There he goes again. “The world is a stage…” . He quotes authors right and left; what amazes me is he never seems to get them wrong. He’s got one hell of a memory, I’ll give him that.
“… as Ishmael would say.” Who’s Ishmael? Perhaps I should not space out when he opens his mouth; I might learn something. At the very least, which books he is referencing. I don’t think I’d have time to read them all, though. I don’t read like he does.
Something he says grabs my attention. It must have been my name. “Did you get lost on the Island of the Day Before?… Eco?” The only echo I know can be found in caves, so I say nothing. He sighs. “There are more islands than the one in ‘Lost’, you know? Mystery Island, Treasure Island…. In fact, your ‘Lost’ island is based on all of them.” Maybe I should start reading, after all. I have wondered where the script writers got all their ideas.
“Dad, I don’t…. Actually, no, I do care. Which of those islands should I read about first?” He stands up, turns toward the library and I can see him smiling.
I’m new, and I have just read this. Oh my goodness, I do that all the time – incorrect use of ellipsis. Even in all the comments I have made in the Write Practice. I will make a concerted effort to stop right now. Ahem.
so toms use of ellipses are incorrect?? i just looked up “ellipsis” on wiki and i think some might work. i could be wrong though, i am kind of a high school drop out
beast
I definitely needed this post. Also loved Tomdub’s 101 (mis) Uses of Ellipses. Thanks for sharing!
Hi guys. I see you are using the ellipsis only in conversations. Is it possible to use it as an end of a sentence or a paragraph? i.e. His final thoughts, My God! The food was poisoned, how silly of me, and attempts to hold on to consciousness, extending his arms with imploring hands towards Mari Si, collapsing into shadows…
It’s certainly possible to use the ellipsis to end a sentence. It generally comes off better in a first-person or third-person limited narration setting.
Thanks a lot, Liz! 😉
I did not know this. I’ve always used them to indicate that my speaker was trailing off, or to indicate that s/he’d for gotten their words just before they spoke them.
Question: It looks like YOU put a space in between the ellipsis and the last word before it and another space in between the ellipsis and the next word. I have not seen it like that. I have seen: It was almost the last word… where the ellipsis connects to the last word.
In both examples of uses, you seem to put a space before and after the ellipsis.
Is that correct usage on the page – or should it, connect to a word? Such as when the speaker pauses and then continues (i.e., “It’s like I think…forget that. I know.” His voice deepened as he spoke.)
When you’re connecting two complete sentences in an editorial manner, adding the space before and after the ellipsis is generally the way to go. In other circumstances, such as when you’re using them in a creative context like you mention, connecting the words without the spacing is fine.
The only question I have left is the correct way to type an ellipsis. Is there a space between each period and is there one before and after the whole ellipsis? Is it “…” or “. . .” and if the later that makes the period and ellipsis much more confusing looking.
There’s actually a specially formatted ellipsis that appears in my word processor like magic, but when that’s not available, generally spacing between the dots is the way to go.
I recently got a great tip from Jeff Goins that you can make that magic ellipsis by pressing alt+semicolon (at least on mac). See: …
(Continuing my question): I have been googling it and have found it used connected tot the words on this and other sites: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/ellipses.asp (which is how I have used it previously). Now am confused. Which way is correct?
From a typographic standpoint, you should use true ellipses (…), not just three periods (…). There’s a difference in the amount of spacing. Yes, a little anal, but hey — we’re talking about ellipses for crying out loud!
Nothing wrong with being a little anal about it, right? Although that makes me wonder what the correct plural version of ellipsis is… (not an ellipsis, just trailing off my thought).
That would be ellipses. Now don’t you wish to took Latin…?
Second that, Jeff. I almost always use […] when I bother to use ellipses at all. I’ve only ever seen the use of brackets in legal writing, however, which is where I picked up the practice.
Yes, but I only use […] if text has been omitted. If it’s a pause in conversation, or conversation that has trailed off, brackets would be weird.
Brackets are used when something must be segregated within a parenthetical comment, as using parentheses within parentheses would be very confusing. Example: (unless you intended “legal” and “forced” to be connected [which I doubt]). Terrible example off the top of my head, but many times this practice has saved me from verbosity.
Thank you for posting this valuable lesson. I pride myself on being as grammatically accurate as possible. This certainly helps.
Greetings Liz. I am new to WP and enjoyed this post. However am still a bit foggy on the creative use of ellipsis as distinct from its editorial use. If this distinction is nonsensical, please ignore or deride at will. Sometimes it feels like I have three dots in my brain where there ought to be information on how to use ellipsis (etcetera!)….
Hi Sal! Welcome to WP. Glad to have you here.
From a creative standpoint, ellipses are generally used in dialogue to indicate when a character trails off vocally or loses their train of thought. It can also be used in first-person or third-person limited narration for similar purposes.
Editorially, ellipses are pretty exclusively used to replace words or sentences in quotations for the sake of brevity without taking away from the meaning of the quote.
Thanks for that, Liz. It does seem to be the narrative use of ellipsis that is most confusing, and I’m still not sure what you mean by “limited narration.” Katherine Mansfield is one of my favourite authors and she uses ellipsis liberally in her narration. For example, if I may quote her, in her famous story The Doll’s House, she writes: “Perhaps it is the way God opens houses at the dead of night when He is taking a quiet turn with an angel….” just as one example of many. This usage seems to be to suggestive of thoughts that are better left unspoken, to create mystery and suspense, I guess. Would you agree? And more to the point, would you use ellipses in this way?
Oh… I am so guilty of overusing and misusing ellipses. Why is that I wonder …. It must be something to do with a naturally scatty mind! Thanks for this set of useful reminders. What would I do without thewritepractice.com?…
I heard noises, discreet but clear.
A footstep or two and the creaking of the floors and doors… sleeping is
impossible in this place.
Have i used ellipsis right?
WHY…CAN’T YOU SHOW MORE EXAMPLES….??!!!
Well, this be a good example of what not to do. 🙂
please give me a example!
Oh ellipsis, how do I spell thee
ellipsis or ellipses,
Perhaps to think, to ponder, how I should use thee
Perhaps as in Apollo 11
10 …
9 …
8 …
Nah, boring
Perhaps as in Jomeo and Ruliet
“Jomeo, oh … thou?”
“T’s … east.”
Perhaps the Wabberjauck, “T’was brillig … groves.”
Perhaps as Hamlet said to Horatio, no Spoonerism possible, oh my,
“To … be.”
Enough enough said Buggs and Porky sputtered “Tha’ tha’ …”
Dear Liz Bureman,
I’m writing to you in regards to your recent article titled, “How to Use an Ellipsis.” My client, who shall remain nameless, has objections and suggestions to the points that you presented in your argument.
In the article you stated: “An ellipsis is a trio of periods (…) that serve as a placeholder for text. (…) The idea of the text is preserved, and space is conserved.”
Here are the counter-points presented by my client, who shall remain nameless.
Because the term ellipsis sounds like a mathematical term, it should not be taken too seriously as a literary term. (I do not condone my client’s mud slinging.)
My client, who shall remain (…), has hand written letters to multiple people, using three dots at the bottom of the page to indicate that the message continues on the other side of the paper, and at no time has a single person responded in a confused manner to present themselves lost on the first page.
There are too many examples of three dots being used after the words, “To be continued,” to deny that they mean what you don’t think they mean. I mean, where do grammar rule come from anyway?
In light of these objections, my client, (…) has put forth a suggestion.
When omitting text, use the collection of punctuation that includes open and close parenthesis, and three dots. (…)
When conveying the idea that something is “to be continued,” whether from instance to instance, page to page, or thought to thought, use the collection of three dots all on their own. This would not be called an ellipsis, since it doesn’t use the parenthesis. Instead, this should be called a formoto, derived from the musical annotation of a fermata, to hold.
Thank you,
On behalf of my client, (…)
Hi Liz; I am new to WP and trying to soak it all in! I liked Thomas Furmato’s client’s (…) suggestion, I think it is brilliant! Naturally, the reason this resonates with me is that I am also guilty of mis-using the ellipsis. I use it not only as a text place holder, but to punctuate a pause or trail off (as in, “To be continued…”) a train of thought. I have SO much to learn… 🙂 This post was a bit confusing, but really helpful.
Thanks, Liz for clarifying the difference between “creative” vs. “editorial” use, this helped clarify that I am not completely off.
I also really enjoyed Tomdub’s 101 (mis) Uses of Ellipses; what great examples!
Did I overlook how to form an ellipsis?
Hey Charlotte! Could be! An ellipsis is simply that trio of periods… you see so regularly (and usually unnecessarily) on social media. You can make it by either pressing the period key three times or by using the shortcut for a true ellipsis, Alt/Option + semicolon (;). Did I answer your question?
Sorry for the delay in response Joe, I don’t come here every day.
I know an ellipsis is three periods but I did not know the shortcut you mention.
What about the spaces? I’ve learned form Ruthanne to put a space after my ellipsis; should I put on before it too? … Set it off/out from the sentence?
Hi Joe, sorry I was away so long.
What I want to to know is do you begin and end an ellipsis with spaces, ” … “, or “… “, or ” …”.
I asked that above. I guess I shouldn’t get any hopes up since you asked 3 months ago and they still haven’t done it. xD
It’s funny because the title says they’ll show you how to do it correctly… >.<
Lol, that is kind of funny. xD
Years later & nobody will repost the examples with proper grammar…
I learned nothing from this.
Thank you for this. I am learning the craft all over again. It has been years since I have been in school and I just began writing.
Thanks Liz! I’m currently copy editing a manuscript whose author has made the stylistic choice of using ellipses at the beginning and ending of several sentences per page. The MS is 590 pages in length. For the sake of my own sanity, I’m ignoring the ellipses, but in my notes I’ll be including your handy explanation.
Yes, I use ellipsis – or is the multiple form ellipses? Whenever a second character (B) interrupts A, finishing his sentence. Or – with the fourth dot i.e. full stop, when the speaker is distracted.
Thanks, Liz, you’ve given clarity to this area.
Hi Liz,
I’m a grammar lover, though not a grammar expert. I often use an ellipsis when I want to write a sentence fragment. I use it like a mea culpa. Will I be carted off to grammar jail?
Thanks for the piece!
Did you use an incorrect possessive pronoun in one of your sentences above? “On occasion, you might see an ellipsis used as an indication of a place where the writer or speaker has paused or lost their train of thought.” Or is that a new way of avoiding saying “his or her”?
How interesting. I use it at the end of a sentence.
Thomasina looked out of the window and thought of Gabriel.
“I shall do one thing in this life … love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.”
She knew that nothing in the world would ever change. “…At home by the fire, whenever you look up there I shall be— and whenever I look up, there will be you,” she whispered.
They were irrevocably bound.
“At first I did not love you … when I first knew you I merely wanted you to love me … and when I found I had caught you, I was frightened … but you see, however fondly it ended, it began in the selfish and cruel wish to make your heart ache for me without letting mine ache for you…” said Thomasina.
She used Gabriel unfairly, but now it was too late for both of them.
Gabriel turned from her and was lost in the deep blackness of the night.
“Why didn’t you tell me there was danger…,” he murmured, “…Why didn’t you warn me?”
I used quotes from my favorite author, Thomas Hardy
Leigh
I would fundamentally disagree with your usage of an ellipsis in that Oscar Wilde quote! What an egregious and growing misuse of the punctuation!
Yes. I do. And sadly … far too often … and incorrectly, at least in my first drafts. 🙂
No I don’t use ellipsis, or at least, not often… («—-Question, was this an ellipsis?) So, I want to try it.
Quote: «When all the sky with clouds is black,
Don’t lie down upon your back
And look at them. Just do the thing;
Though you are choked, still try to sing.
If times are dark, believe them fair,
And you will cross the Delaware!».
With ellipsis: «Don’t lie down upon your back… And you will cross the Delaware!»
…Ok, that doesn’t make sense but i will post it for my efforts.
Why do people use an ellipsis before an exclamation mark or question mark?
eg: “Great work…!”
You dealt with that elusive “four-dot-ellipsis” concept. It’d been bugging me for….
“W … What did you say?” she gasped. “Are you very very sure?”
Huge mistake reading the comments… … (…) […].
I’m more confused now than ever! :/
It seems your point here is to not impart any information while using as many words as possible…
I still don’t know how to use it but I am impressed with all of your words You have really got a lot of them.