How do you over-use the ellipsis...?

I over-use it as an overexaggerated pause, stronger than a comma or semi-colon, but not as strong as a period; in my mind, it has about the same pausing power as a this: -- . I know this is wrong, but it's a habit that I just can't seem to shake.

I use them constantly on-line and then find myself wanting to use them in my writing in completely inappropriate places. I really need to break myself of the habit...

i use them every time i feel i'm on the verge of dying so that, if i do, i'll go out with a final trail of them blazing across the page like dots of vengeance.

I use them sparingly in writing. When I do use them, it's for hesitation/pause to think, reflection, draw your own conclusion, and so on.


I used to abuse the use of them. I used them in emails, chat rooms, anywhere. It finally got so bad, I annoyed myself. So, I broke the habit and try to use them for useful addition to my fiction writing.

I put the first one and the third one. I guess I do it quite a bit.

In my writing, though, I use them when one speaker interrupts another. Other than that, I don't think I use them in it.

Hahaha. I use them all the time here for all the reasons listed above. Often I write here exactly the way I think.

But I don't think I've ever used them in a writing piece.

Yeah, I agree w/ BF.

I don't usually use them in my writing, but I do here. I think it's because I try to convey a sense of conversational pacing.

Yep..same as Scwebb and Brokenfingers..I use them ALOT on message boards and emails and instant messaging and rarely in writing.

...I use them all...the...time...mostly to put pauses in my posts or PMs...or to create some kinda tension....or to elicit some type of response from the next or other person....

Only when I'm drawing some dot art and on AW.


Seriously... I tend to use it instead of -- . Is that a British grammar difference maybe? I've never looked it up, but I have read alot of British and Canadian fiction and picked up a lot of my grammar usage from reading through osmosis.

Let me think about it....

Hmm...........................................................................................

If you are casually playing with ellipses to spice up email or postings and such, three dots in a row like this … works fine (or any number of dots, for that matter).

But beware!

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition, section 10.48, ellipsis “are usually separated from each other and from the text and any contiguous punctuation by 3-to-em spaces.”

A “3-to-em” space is 1/3 of an “em” space.

An em is a unit of linear measurement equal to the point size of the type. For example, if you are using 12-point type, an em would be 12 points long, or the same length as a character (in non-proportional type).

Admittedly, this rule is for typesetters and is a bit technical for the average novelist, but it brings up a point often neglected by many average writers, to wit:

Points of ellipsis need some kind of space between them.

I think that the rule of thumb for those using typewriters or word processors is to use one tap of the spacebar between the dots (and any text or contiguous punctuation).

I could go on with lots of examples, but I suspect that I may have lost all but the most dedicated to the craft of proper writing . . . <sigh> . . .

Sadly, I knew they were supposed to have spaces in them. . . Sadly, I use them far too much. . .

Sadly, MS Word, by default, when you toss three ... in a row, makes them smaller and adds a funny space before and after them so it looks like ... Which I know because my other half uses them incorrectly. . . Much to my dismay. . .

Hi, quidscribis.

So glad to hear from you. To be honest, I never thought I'd get a reply.
I haven't confirmed this, but I believe that Word is trying to put in the notorious 3-to-em spaces between the dots. You can disable this by going to Tools and then AutoCorrect. You will see the ellipsis points halfway down the list in the big window. You can simply highlight them and delete them, but that's rather drastic. If you carefully put a space between each dot as you type, the points will turn out okay and you'll just bypass the AutoCorrection feature, but it will still be there if you ever want to use it.

Here are some usage examples:

Correct: And then she smiled . . .
Incorrect: And then she smiled. . .
Incorrect: And then she smiled...
Incorrect: And then she smiled ...

Correct: And then she smiled. . . .

Note that this last example demonstrates the use of a period at the end of the sentence which is then followed by three ellipsis points. The period follows the standard rules of punctuation, thus there is no space between it and the last character of the sentence. The points of ellipsis are separate and distinct from the stop mark (period) at the end of the sentence.

And by the same token, the following examples are both correct:

And then she smiled? . . .
And then she smiled! . . .

. . . . I love them, I love them, I love them, I do . . .
I love my ellipses . . . I'll share them with you . . .

Aye, yi, yi, yi. . . .
I am the . . .

Sorry. Got carried away there.

Would you could you in a box . . .
would you could you with a fox . .. .. ?
I will use them here or there . . . .
but in formal writing. . . .

NEVERY WHERE.
(mostly)

Um...well...uh...gee...to answer that question...I would say...


Who uses THOSE things????

rhymegirl said:

Um...well...uh...gee...to answer that question...I would say...


Who uses THOSE things????

Click to expand...

Me . . .

I use them sparingly. I used to use them to separate ... because that's how I originally learned it ... breaks or set off appostives. Now however, I make those breaks -- because this is what Struck and White suggests -- using dashes.

Elipses I now use to show a dialog trailing off.

"I know what you mean. I believe that I could ... ." I stopped in mid-sentence when I realized he wasn't listening any longer.

I'm all about... total Ellipse of the Heart...

I use them all the time for online posting, but in real writing, I use sparingly if at all. I find myself using them many times also in place of "long story short" or "yada, yada."

Unique said:

. . . . I love them, I love them, I love them, I do . . .
I love my ellipses . . . I'll share them with you . . .

Aye, yi, yi, yi. . . .
I am the . . .

Sorry. Got carried away there.

Would you could you in a box . . .
would you could you with a fox . .. .. ?
I will use them here or there . . . .
but in formal writing. . . .

NEVERY WHERE.
(mostly)

Click to expand...

Thank you, Unique, for bringing me back to my senses. I do tend to get a little serious about punctuation (particularly ellipsis). It's a pet peeve.

I am not unfamiliar with the words, "Hey! Lighten up, for heaven's sake."

I've also been know to utter the words, "For the love of God, somebody stop me."