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ellipse help
Posted: 29 Dec 2022, 11:43
by Diana Lowery
I like ellipses, but I am confused about how to use them.
How should this be punctuated?
That should be enough. . . but wait, there's more.
That should be enough. . . But wait, there's more.
That should be enough . . .but wait . . . there's more.
That should be enough . . .But wait . . . there's more
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 29 Dec 2022, 11:58
by UndeniablyMë
Hi @Diana Lowery
I believe this is the sentence construction you are looking for.
That should be enough, but wait... there's more.
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 29 Dec 2022, 15:15
by jammie alexander
“That should be enough . . . but wait . . . there’s more” would be correct in this example.
This is beca It’s used to create a pause for suspense on both sides.
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 29 Dec 2022, 15:49
by jammie alexander
“That should be enough . . . but wait . . . there’s more” would be correct in this example.
This is beca It’s used to create a pause for suspense on both sides.
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 06 Jan 2023, 12:29
by Andrew Butchers
I am pretty sure that if you have a capital letter after, you need to end the previous sentance - so there needs to be another stop (or other punctuation).
As for whether to include a second ellipsis, I don't think that there is a rule to say yes or no - that is a matter of personal style and what you are trying to convey. (For example, if this is speech, do you want to show a pause longer than just a comma ?)
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 20 Jan 2023, 19:54
by Melissa Best
Hi!
Ellipses are not treated as the end of a sentence, so that would eliminate the two options where "but" is capitalized.
As for writing "wait ... there's" vs. "wait, there's" that's more of a point of personal preference. Ellipses indicate hesitation and can create suspense in a similar way that commas do. Personally, I would lean towards the first example you gave just to avoid overuse of the ellipses.
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 23 Jan 2023, 19:23
by Shane Lucey
Capitalization is not generally required unless it begins an entirely new sentence. I think the "..." after "wait" depends on how long of a pause you want to convey.
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 27 Jan 2023, 14:57
by MsH2k
diana lowery wrote: ↑29 Dec 2022, 11:43
I like ellipses, but I am confused about how to use them.
How should this be punctuated?
A. That should be enough. . . but wait, there's more.
B. That should be enough. . . But wait, there's more.
C. That should be enough . . .but wait . . . there's more.
D. That should be enough . . .But wait . . . there's more
Hi Diana,
That’s some question you have there.
I noticed it a while back—answering it was like seeing someone you wanted to talk to on the far side of a crowded room. I finally made it over to you!
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, the capitalization of “But” in examples B and D is fine if you intended the first sentence to be deliberately incomplete (13.55). Otherwise, there would be a period at the end of the sentence (no space before the period) followed by the ellipse. (13.53)
Regarding spacing, CMOS places a space between the dots and says there is usually a space on either side of the ellipse. The Punctuation Guide states, “Each period should have a single space on either side, except when adjacent to a quotation mark, in which case there should be no space.”
I didn’t notice anything about how many ellipses are acceptable in close proximity, so I think that’s up to your aesthetic preference.
So, based on these two sources, it looks like the main thing in your examples is to ensure there is a space both before and after the ellipse.
Tossed in for free, the end punctuation is missing in D.
https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/ellipses.html
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 27 Jan 2023, 16:57
by Diana Lowery
MsH2k wrote: ↑27 Jan 2023, 14:57
diana lowery wrote: ↑29 Dec 2022, 11:43
I like ellipses, but I am confused about how to use them.
How should this be punctuated?
A. That should be enough. . . but wait, there's more.
B. That should be enough. . . But wait, there's more.
C. That should be enough . . .but wait . . . there's more.
D. That should be enough . . .But wait . . . there's more
Hi Diana,
That’s some question you have there.
I noticed it a while back—answering it was like seeing someone you wanted to talk to on the far side of a crowded room. I finally made it over to you!
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, the capitalization of “But” in examples B and D is fine if you intended the first sentence to be deliberately incomplete (13.55). Otherwise, there would be a period at the end of the sentence (no space before the period) followed by the ellipse. (13.53)
Regarding spacing, CMOS places a space between the dots and says there is usually a space on either side of the ellipse. The Punctuation Guide states, “Each period should have a single space on either side, except when adjacent to a quotation mark, in which case there should be no space.”
I didn’t notice anything about how many ellipses are acceptable in close proximity, so I think that’s up to your aesthetic preference.
So, based on these two sources, it looks like the main thing in your examples is to ensure there is a space both before and after the ellipse.
Tossed in for free, the end punctuation is missing in D.
https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/ellipses.html
Thanks for this. I will file it away for future reference. I think I submitted the review with one of those examples, and it wasn't flagged as incorrect. I guess I got lucky on that one. I am pretty sure I did include an end punctuation mark.
Glad you finally made it across the crowded room.
Re: ellipse help
Posted: 28 Jan 2023, 08:32
by Andrew Butchers
Different places have different guidelines.
For example, Distributed Proofreaders, which supplies works to Project Gutenberg, says "An ellipsis should have three dots. Regarding the spacing, in the middle of a sentence treat the three dots as a single word (i.e., usually a space before the 3 dots and a space after). At the end of a sentence treat the ellipsis as ending punctuation, with no space before it.
"Note that there will also be an ending punctuation mark at the end of a sentence, so in the case of a period there will be 4 dots total. .... A good hint that you're at the end of a sentence is the use of a capital letter at the start of the next word, or the presence of an ending punctuation mark (e.g., a question mark or exclamation point)."