Ellipses

[KillerMuffin]

The ins and outs.

I'll have to dig up Michael Seidman's Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published. There is a publisher's eye view on the use of ellipses in them.

I'll have to stick with my grammar guides, though:

From Webster's Grammar Guide:

4. The period is used to indicatethe omission of words in quoted passages.
(a) Use three periods (. . .) to indicate the omission of words within a quoted passage. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. . . one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
(b) Use four periods (. . . .) to indicate the omission of words at the end of a quoted passage.
"Fame is the spur. . . ." John Milton.

From Prentic-Hall Handbook for Writers, 7th Edition:

19c Use a series of three spaced periods (. . .) to indicate an ellipsis within a sentence.

An ellipsis is an intentional omission of words from quoted material.

From The Oxford Companion to the English Language:

In grammar. Ellipsis is a common syntactic device in everyday language: for example, the full structure of the normal, but elliptical, sentence "Take another piece if you want to" is "Take another piece if you want to take another piece." Here the ellipsis depends on the words that precede it and is anaphoric.... In conversation, words may be omitted because they relate to what someone has just said: "When can I see you?" "Tomorrow." That is, "You can see me tomorrow." In "Those who can should pay," the elliptical "Those who can" depends for the interpretation "Those who can pay" on what follows and is cataphoric.... Anaphoric and cataphoric ellipsis are types of textual ellipsis, where the recoverability of the full structure depends on what occurs before or after. It contrasts with situational ellipsis, in which recoverability depends on knowledge of the situational context ("Got any money?" may be "Have you got any money?" or "Have they got any money?") and structural ellipsis, in which recoverability depends on syntax (the headline "Poll shows labour 10 points ahead" corresponds to the full "A poll shows that the Labour Party is 10 points ahead."). Another type, often used in making notes or writing a diary, is the telegraphic "Went out. Had a meal. Came homeand watched TV. Then bed."
In punctuation. In writing and print, ellipsis is the formal convention, in the form of three ellipsis points (. . .), for leaving out parts of quoted sentences and texts, while at the same time indicating that an omission has occurred: for example, the sentence "There has been, as far as we can tell, no loss of life." can be reduced in quotation to "There has been. . .no loss of life." When ellipses follows the end of a sentence, there are sometimes four points, consisting of a period to close the sentence and then three ellipsis points: for example, the sentences "We mustn't give in. What would be the point? We must go on!" can be reduced to "We mustn't give in. . . . We must go on!" Ellipsis points often serve, as does a dash, to leave a statement dramatically 'hanging in the air' ("The enemy slowly came nearer, then...), after which there may be a new paragraph, a change of topic, or no further text. When points are used to suggest not an omission, but a pause ("They left. . .rather quickly."), they are known as points of suspension or suspension points, and are not elliptical.

I have more, but I think that should be enough to choose from.

The point is this, it can be done. It shouldn't be. Next time you read a book that someone paid money to create, look for ellipsis marks and you won't find them with punctuation except to indicate omission.

 

[Whispersecret]

The (....) is NOT a larger missing chunk of a quote. It is a regular ellipsis with a period.

As far as wanting more from an ellipsis, I can identify with that. I'd love to change the rules of spelling so I wouldn't have to work so fucking hard with my kids on their weekly spelling homework. But, it just can't be done. We have to live with the rules, and break them at the risk of looking illiterate.

 

[rigged4dive]

Sorry about stirring up discontent in your other thread.

I went to the book store today to pick up a printed copy of The Elements of Style and The Little Brown Handbook.

While there, I also bought a copy of a book by one of my favorite authors, Richard Bach. The book is titled: Out of My Mind, The Discovery of Saunders-Vixen. $12.95 plus tax. Imagine my horror, upon starting the first chapter, in finding that Richard is one elliptically abusive MF! Ellipses blatantly misused on pages 4, 5, 7, and 9!

My faith in a well ordered universe is shaken to the core. I am vexed, vexed, I tell you.

 

[Laurel]

Abuse of ellipses is one of the biggest punctuation faux pas (that's "fox pass" for those reading aloud) I see in Lit submissions. An ellipses is THREE (3) dots, not 20. And it does not just go anywhere - it has a purpose, as stated above.

Another common abuse is overuse of the exclamation point and question mark. My college writing professor always said, "One is nice, two is emphasis, three or more is greedy."

Established writers - like all established artists - knew when to break the rules for effect. But most of us here aren't pro, and we're not writing experimental or funky fiction. Off-center punctuation doesn't enhance most of these works - it's confusing to the reader, and makes the story hard to read.

It's not just the nitpicky folks like KM & WS who will look down on bad punctuation. Any reader will find poorly punctuated work difficult to read. They will do one of two things: 1) vote you down because they're annoyed at having to work so hard to understand your writing; or 2) back-click and go find something more clearly written.

These readers are reading for pleasure. If you want them to pay attention to your story, make it easy for them to do so. Spell-check your work. Break it into manageable paragraphs. (Long paragraphs are hard for the eye to track on computer screens, and weary the reader.) Use punctuation correctly. The story doesn't have to be a Strunk & White example of perfection, but eliminating obvious spelling errors & obvious punctuation abuses will garner your story a much much much more positive reader reaction...and that's what it's all about! It certainly ain't about the big fat paycheck!

 

[rigged4dive]

Laurel, I didn't mean to sound argumentative. It's a foolish or naive person who argues punctuation or grammar with KM.

My point was simply that it is very frustrating to buy a book solely in order to study the style of an author whos style you admire, only to find it shot full of sentance fragments and non-standard punctuation.

 

[karmadog]

The dreaded ellipsis

What about in dialogue? KM, none of your citations address the use of the ellipsis in dialogue. Now is the ellipsis not appropriate to indicate a pause longer than a comma in a sentence?

For instance: "Aren't you kind of a... tramp?"

In dialogue, I think that punctuation has more to do with how something is said than it does with grammar. I will cite Faulkner, Elmore Leonard, and Ernest Hemingway to support my point.

Generally, I agree with you and your citations. Avoid the ellipsis, but in dialogue it is useful shorthand that is, I think, understood.

What do you (and the books) think?

 

[Whispersecret]

...eliminating obvious spelling errors & obvious punctuation abuses will garner your story a much much much more positive reader reaction....

Amen.

People really do notice. I get feedback all the time from people thanking me for my attention to the details of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

 

[Shhh]

(....)

The (....) is NOT a larger missing chunk of a quote. It is a regular ellipsis with a period.

As far as wanting more from an ellipsis, I can identify with that. I'd love to change the rules of spelling so I wouldn't have to work so fucking hard with my kids on their weekly spelling homework. But, it just can't be done. We have to live with the rules, and break them at the risk of looking illiterate.

Depending on the nature of the material at hand, I can advise you that the (....) elipse IS PRECISELY "a larger missing chunk."
Specifically in the field of legal writing, (...) indicates words removed from a sentence, while (....) indicates sentences or even paragraphs removed from the original quoted passage.

As regards common usage, I think it may be correct to say that the (....) is simply a (...) followed by a period. But if that's the case, let's invent a (....) and give it something to do.

Frankly, I don't think the semicolon gets enough exercise, either.

 

[Laurel]

Laurel, I didn't mean to sound argumentative. It's a foolish or naive person who argues punctuation or grammar with KM.

My point was simply that it is very frustrating to buy a book solely in order to study the style of an author whos style you admire, only to find it shot full of sentance fragments and non-standard punctuation.

Oh, I didn't take your post as argumentative at all! I was just bouncing off the topic a little. I agree - many writers I enjoy mangle the language a bit, but they have the skill to do it right. Which is absolutely no help, like you said, to those trying to learn their magic tricks!

 

[Whispersecret]

Re: (....)

Depending on the nature of the material at hand, I can advise you that the (....) elipse IS PRECISELY "a larger missing chunk."
Specifically in the field of legal writing, (...) indicates words removed from a sentence, while (....) indicates sentences or even paragraphs removed from the original quoted passage.

Frankly, I don't think the semicolon gets enough exercise, either.

Hey, I've never written anything legal in my life, so I'll bow to your superior authority. Thank God fiction doesn't have to be written like a brief. I'd never set foot into a bookstore if that was the case.

The semicolon is not lazy. Poor thing is a wallflower to her more popular sister, the comma.