Ellipsis

My worst habit…

I am guilty as well. . . .

It’s terrrible, but…

Well, you know. . . .

I do…

I’ve also noticed that older science teachers have a habit of talking without finishing their…

. . . sentences? . . . .thoughts?

Or do you mean. . . . .

... Yeah…

dot…dot…dot…BANG

Hey, are you. . . . .I see we have. . . . of ellipsis!!

Well… we could go… Napoleon’s final… Waterloo… Helena.

Oh my … I’m sure I put too many of these in my writing but otherwise, it sounds so harsh and sudden … I do like the semi-colon as well; it’s also a “grammar softener” ...

I like the exclamation point!! Talk about harsh! and sudden!! The semi-colon rocks too, but I am really not too sure where to put it (in a sentence!!!) I am sure Finrod will hook me up with the do’s and don’ts of this oft ill-used piece of puntuational. . . . .

It was already there: or;

http://bestuff.com/stuff/exclamation-mark

I overuse the ellipsis on this site, only because my beloved emdash causes formatting issues.

Disclaimer: I am about to embark on a terribly boring journey of grammar.

In my limited knowledge of grammar, you place a semi-colon when joining two closely related phrases … too close to be seperate sentences, too far apart to be joined by a comma. Check out the Wiki page for more usages …

“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-colon”

Not boring, I asked for it!! I will check it out (as soon as I wake from my nap), thanks Kitti!!

Er… Kittilyn, I think that’s sepArate…

Sorry!

oh, I am not offended in the least. I often mix around my vowels with each other. I also have trouble with switching “J” with “L”, and “R” with “V”. Don’t ask me why.

“I’m sorry, is your name Laura or Julie?”

“Red or violet?”

My writings are littered with ellipses, em-dashes and parentheses, simply because I cannot seem to write a simple sentence without several addenda.

Although I just don’t understand why some people space out their ellipses. It just looks ugly…and I also insist on using only three dots in each ellipsis. It sounds OCD , but two or four or anything else just looks wrong.

That’s because it is. I just checked my Chambers Dictionary and it defines ‘ellipsis’ in punctuation as the mark (...).

Two or four dots (don’t count the fullstop/period in the above) is wrong.

As to spacing, that depends on what publishers call ‘house style’. Me, I always use three dots and a space.

What’s OCD ? Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Except in Japanese, where up to six is acceptable. :)

Yes it is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I just went back to look at my posts (not that I am OCD ) and I seem to use 3 to 4 dots with a space between them, I use the spaces as pauses. That’s how I have always used them, I never really thought about it.

I think it should be Compulsive-Obsessive Disorder… it’d be in alphabetical order, then.

Much neater! ;)

O-kay… Yes.. Yes… It would be… neater!

One of my worst habits as well… and I also am usually too lazy to use all three proper dots in my haste to get on with the next thought..

i use it to show that am thinking or a so on when i read it i sometimes take it offensivly don’t any1?

Offensive? I would never think that, actually when I see someone type: What are you doing… to me it means that that person wants me to reply to them soon. I know, silly!! How do you see it as offensive?

(Wakes up with a start) Sorry, gbman!

I’ve just noticed you taking my name in vain yesterday about exclamation marks and semicolons; so, to give you chapter and verse:

You should only use one exclamation mark, but I sometimes ignore that; it’s just so damn useful sometimes. Though if you feel like using more than one, calm down first.

Colons (like the one above!) indicate that something’s coming up (eg a list), amongst other uses; semicolons (note I just used one) separate two sections where a comma isn’t a big enough pause. Check here for exhaustive detail.

Well, I am a very excitable person, and my use or overuse of exclamation points is due to that. You know, if I was ever angry, I would still use just as many. I would never take your name in vain oh Grammar God, I was just looking to you for guidance on this subject. If my use or overuse of exclamation points is bothersome to you, please let me know.

Don’t know how I missed it. But it doesn’t matter.

You do as you please, gb!

But you won’t get much of a suntan from basking in my reflected glory…

No problem, you gave your opinion, and I respect that. Everybody has their own style, but your point is well taken, and I will more about my liberal use of ”!”

Did anybody notice this topic has the “big block” on the home page mosaic? It’s a lot more interesting than…

I do it all the time… and yes it should be three…

Hmm…it’s useful.

Yes, gbman. A lot more inter…

I’m definitely guilty of overusing ellipsis. I have to work really hard not to use them in papers I write for school. They’re just so damn useful… It helps me type the same way I talk.

Just can’t resist using it…lol

I thought that I used it a lot before, but now…

Hmm, I use it too much…

I would never say that anyone uses it too much, because I think that I…

That’s a good point, gb, but don’t you…

O, but sometimes it gets really annoying when someone…

How do you mean? I feel the same way, but…

...

This is getting st…

We are just showing how the (... ) is a very useful…

...thing to use, whether you are trailing off or picking up where someone left off.

Ha! Ha! Good one, Marisa. :)

Oh Marisa, you think you're so…

...and you're right, you are.