These little three dots can do a lot of things to a text.
It can either take the place of omitted words, or indicate a pause in speech. With this, dramatic pauses and suspense is created.
The mark can also represent silence. While the
colon and dash can also indicate a pause or break in the flow of a sentence or phrase, neither of them quite indicate silence as the ellipsis does.
Moreso, these little guys show an alteration of a quote in a text, ensuring the
authenticity and
transparency of information when informing the reader of its originality.
Something we figured to be important to note is that 'ellipses' and 'ellipsis' refers to the same thing. Ellipsis is one group of three dots, while ellipses are more than one group.
So, how do you use them correctly? Well, here are a few pointers:
- Refer to your style guide when checking out if there should be spaced added before and after the mark.
- Avoid overusing it.
- Read the room: If the copy that you are writing on needs to be specific as possible, avoid using this placeholder.
- Know the tone you want to create before deciding on using an ellipsis.
Have any questions that you want explained in more detail? Reach out in the comment section!
*Image courtesy of Canva