{"id":123,"date":"2017-07-20T16:29:38","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T16:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/chapter\/ellipses\/"},"modified":"2017-07-20T16:29:38","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T16:29:38","slug":"ellipses","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/chapter\/ellipses\/","title":{"raw":"Ellipses","rendered":"Ellipses"},"content":{"raw":"\"anAn ellipsis (plural ellipses<\/em>)\u00a0is a series of three periods, as you can see in the icon to the right.\n\nAs with most punctuation marks, there is some contention about its usage. The main point of contention is whether or not there should be a space between the periods (.\u00a0.\u00a0.) or not (\u2026). MLA, APA, and\u00a0Chicago<\/em>, the most common style guides for students,\u00a0support having spaces between the periods. Others you may encounter, such as in journalism, may not.\n

Quotes<\/h2>\nLike the brackets we just learned about, you will primarily see ellipses\u00a0used in quotes. They\u00a0indicate a missing portion in a quote. Look at the following quote for an example:\n
\n
\n\nSauropod dinosaurs are the biggest animals to have ever walked on land. They are instantly recognized by their long, sweeping necks and whiplashed tails, and nearly always portrayed moving in herds, being stalked by hungry predators.\n\nIn recent years, a huge amount of taxonomic effort from scientists has vastly increased the number of known species of sauropod. What we now know is that in many areas we had two or more species co-existing alongside each other.\n\nA question that arises from this, is how did we have animals that seem so similar, and with such high energy and dietary requirements, living alongside one another? Was there some sort of spinach-like super plant that gave them all Popeye-like physical boosts, or something more subtle?\n\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\nIt's a lengthy quote, and it contains more information than you want to include. Here's how to cut it down:\n
\n
\n\nSauropod dinosaurs are the biggest animals to have ever walked on land. They are instantly recognized by their long, sweeping necks and whiplashed tails. . . .\n\nIn recent years\u00a0. . . [research has shown] that in many areas we had two or more species co-existing alongside each other.\n\nA question that arises from this, is how did we have animals that seem so similar, and with such high energy and dietary requirements, living\u00a0alongside one another?\n\n<\/div><\/blockquote>\nIn the block quote above, you can see that the first ellipsis appears to have\u00a0four dots. (\"They are instantly recognized by their long, sweeping necks and whiplashed tails. . . .\")\u00a0However, this is just a period followed by an ellipsis. This is because\u00a0ellipses do not<\/strong> remove punctuation marks when the original punctuation still is in use; they are instead used in conjunction with original punctuation. This is true for\u00a0all punctuation marks, including periods, commas, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points.\n
\n
By looking at two sympatric species (those that lived together) from the fossil graveyards of the Late Jurassic of North America\u00a0. . .\u00a0, [David Button] tried to work out what the major dietary differences were between sauropod dinosaurs, based on their anatomy.<\/div><\/blockquote>\nOne of the best ways to check yourself is to\u00a0take out the ellipsis. If the sentence or paragraph is still correctly punctuated, you've used\u00a0the ellipsis correctly. (Just remember to put it back in!)\n
\n

Practice<\/h3>\nRead the paragraphs below:\n

Camarasaurus<\/em>, with its more mechanically efficient skull, was capable of generating much stronger bite forces than\u00a0Diplodocus<\/em>. This suggests that Camarasaurus<\/em> was capable of chomping through tougher plant material than\u00a0Diplodocus<\/em>, and was perhaps even capable of a greater degree of oral processing before digestion. This actually ties in nicely with previous hypotheses of different diets for each, which were based\u00a0on apparent feeding heights and inferences made from wear marks on their fossilized teeth.<\/p>\n

Diplodocus<\/em> seems to have been well-adapted, despite its weaker skull, to a form of feeding known as branch stripping, where leaves are plucked from branches as the teeth are dragged along them. The increased flexibility of the neck of Diplodocus<\/em> compared to other sauropods seems to support this too.<\/p>\n

In terms of their morphological disparity (differences in mechanically-significant aspects of their anatomy), Camarasaurus<\/em> and Diplodocus<\/em> appear to vary more than almost any other sauropod taxa, representing extremes within a spectrum of biomechanical variation related to feeding style.<\/p>\nDo\u00a0the following quotes use ellipses (and surrounding punctuation) correctly?\n

  1. This suggests that Camarasaurus<\/em> was capable of chomping through tougher plant material than Diplodocus<\/em>. .\u00a0. This actually ties in nicely with previous hypotheses of different diets foreach.<\/li>\n \t
  2. Diplodocus seems to have been well-adapted, . . .\u00a0to a form of feeding known as branch stripping, where leaves are plucked from branches as the teeth are dragged along them<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"3662\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"3662\"]\n
    1. No.<\/strong> There should be for periods; the ending punctuation of the sentence and then the ellipsis. Even though we've cut off the end of the sentence, the next part is the beginning of a new sentence, and we need ending punctuation.<\/li>\n \t
    2. No.<\/strong> Since we took out the entire parenthetical phrase, the comma beforehand is unnecessary. It should be \"Diplodocus seems to have been well-adapted . . .\u00a0to a form of feeding known as branch stripping . . . \"<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n

      Pauses<\/h2>\nThe ellipsis can also\u00a0indicate . . . a pause. This use is typically informal, and is only be used in casual correspondence (e.g., emails to friends, posts on social media, texting)\u00a0or in literature. Because this use occurs in literature, you may find yourself quoting a passage that already has an ellipsis in it. For example, look at this passage spoken by Lady Bracknell, in\u00a0The Importance of Being Ernest<\/em>.\n
      Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die.\u00a0 This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd.\u00a0 Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids.\u00a0 I consider it morbid.\u00a0 Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.\u00a0 Health is the primary duty of life.\u00a0 I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice . . . as far as any improvement in his ailment goes.\u00a0 I should be much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury, from me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music for me.\u00a0 It is my last reception, and one wants something that will encourage conversation, particularly at the end of the season when every one has practically said whatever they had to say, which, in most cases, was probably not much.<\/div><\/blockquote>\nIf you were to quote the passage, it may appear that\u00a0something has been removed from the quote. So how can we indicate that this is not the case?\u00a0If you think back to the bracket rules we just discussed, you may remember that [sic<\/em>]\u00a0can be used to show\u00a0that an error was in the original. In a similar practice, we can enclose the ellipsis in brackets to show it appeared in the original work:\n
      Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die.\u00a0 This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd.\u00a0 Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids.\u00a0 I consider it morbid.\u00a0 Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.\u00a0 Health is the primary duty of life.\u00a0 I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice [. . .] as far as any improvement in his ailment goes.\u00a0 I should be much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury, from me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music for me.\u00a0 It is my last reception, and one wants something that will encourage conversation, particularly at the end of the season when every one has practically said whatever they had to say, which, in most cases, was probably not much.<\/div><\/blockquote>","rendered":"

      \"anAn ellipsis (plural ellipses<\/em>)\u00a0is a series of three periods, as you can see in the icon to the right.<\/p>\n

      As with most punctuation marks, there is some contention about its usage. The main point of contention is whether or not there should be a space between the periods (.\u00a0.\u00a0.) or not (\u2026). MLA, APA, and\u00a0Chicago<\/em>, the most common style guides for students,\u00a0support having spaces between the periods. Others you may encounter, such as in journalism, may not.<\/p>\n

      Quotes<\/h2>\n

      Like the brackets we just learned about, you will primarily see ellipses\u00a0used in quotes. They\u00a0indicate a missing portion in a quote. Look at the following quote for an example:<\/p>\n

      \n
      \n

      Sauropod dinosaurs are the biggest animals to have ever walked on land. They are instantly recognized by their long, sweeping necks and whiplashed tails, and nearly always portrayed moving in herds, being stalked by hungry predators.<\/p>\n

      In recent years, a huge amount of taxonomic effort from scientists has vastly increased the number of known species of sauropod. What we now know is that in many areas we had two or more species co-existing alongside each other.<\/p>\n

      A question that arises from this, is how did we have animals that seem so similar, and with such high energy and dietary requirements, living alongside one another? Was there some sort of spinach-like super plant that gave them all Popeye-like physical boosts, or something more subtle?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      It’s a lengthy quote, and it contains more information than you want to include. Here’s how to cut it down:<\/p>\n

      \n
      \n

      Sauropod dinosaurs are the biggest animals to have ever walked on land. They are instantly recognized by their long, sweeping necks and whiplashed tails. . . .<\/p>\n

      In recent years\u00a0. . . [research has shown] that in many areas we had two or more species co-existing alongside each other.<\/p>\n

      A question that arises from this, is how did we have animals that seem so similar, and with such high energy and dietary requirements, living\u00a0alongside one another?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      In the block quote above, you can see that the first ellipsis appears to have\u00a0four dots. (“They are instantly recognized by their long, sweeping necks and whiplashed tails. . . .”)\u00a0However, this is just a period followed by an ellipsis. This is because\u00a0ellipses do not<\/strong> remove punctuation marks when the original punctuation still is in use; they are instead used in conjunction with original punctuation. This is true for\u00a0all punctuation marks, including periods, commas, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points.<\/p>\n

      \n
      By looking at two sympatric species (those that lived together) from the fossil graveyards of the Late Jurassic of North America\u00a0. . .\u00a0, [David Button] tried to work out what the major dietary differences were between sauropod dinosaurs, based on their anatomy.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      One of the best ways to check yourself is to\u00a0take out the ellipsis. If the sentence or paragraph is still correctly punctuated, you’ve used\u00a0the ellipsis correctly. (Just remember to put it back in!)<\/p>\n

      \n

      Practice<\/h3>\n

      Read the paragraphs below:<\/p>\n

      Camarasaurus<\/em>, with its more mechanically efficient skull, was capable of generating much stronger bite forces than\u00a0Diplodocus<\/em>. This suggests that Camarasaurus<\/em> was capable of chomping through tougher plant material than\u00a0Diplodocus<\/em>, and was perhaps even capable of a greater degree of oral processing before digestion. This actually ties in nicely with previous hypotheses of different diets for each, which were based\u00a0on apparent feeding heights and inferences made from wear marks on their fossilized teeth.<\/p>\n

      Diplodocus<\/em> seems to have been well-adapted, despite its weaker skull, to a form of feeding known as branch stripping, where leaves are plucked from branches as the teeth are dragged along them. The increased flexibility of the neck of Diplodocus<\/em> compared to other sauropods seems to support this too.<\/p>\n

      In terms of their morphological disparity (differences in mechanically-significant aspects of their anatomy), Camarasaurus<\/em> and Diplodocus<\/em> appear to vary more than almost any other sauropod taxa, representing extremes within a spectrum of biomechanical variation related to feeding style.<\/p>\n

      Do\u00a0the following quotes use ellipses (and surrounding punctuation) correctly?<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. This suggests that Camarasaurus<\/em> was capable of chomping through tougher plant material than Diplodocus<\/em>. .\u00a0. This actually ties in nicely with previous hypotheses of different diets foreach.<\/li>\n
      2. Diplodocus seems to have been well-adapted, . . .\u00a0to a form of feeding known as branch stripping, where leaves are plucked from branches as the teeth are dragged along them<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n
        \n
          \n
        1. No.<\/strong> There should be for periods; the ending punctuation of the sentence and then the ellipsis. Even though we’ve cut off the end of the sentence, the next part is the beginning of a new sentence, and we need ending punctuation.<\/li>\n
        2. No.<\/strong> Since we took out the entire parenthetical phrase, the comma beforehand is unnecessary. It should be “Diplodocus seems to have been well-adapted . . .\u00a0to a form of feeding known as branch stripping . . . “<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

          Pauses<\/h2>\n

          The ellipsis can also\u00a0indicate . . . a pause. This use is typically informal, and is only be used in casual correspondence (e.g., emails to friends, posts on social media, texting)\u00a0or in literature. Because this use occurs in literature, you may find yourself quoting a passage that already has an ellipsis in it. For example, look at this passage spoken by Lady Bracknell, in\u00a0The Importance of Being Ernest<\/em>.<\/p>\n

          \n
          Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die.\u00a0 This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd.\u00a0 Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids.\u00a0 I consider it morbid.\u00a0 Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.\u00a0 Health is the primary duty of life.\u00a0 I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice . . . as far as any improvement in his ailment goes.\u00a0 I should be much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury, from me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music for me.\u00a0 It is my last reception, and one wants something that will encourage conversation, particularly at the end of the season when every one has practically said whatever they had to say, which, in most cases, was probably not much.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

          If you were to quote the passage, it may appear that\u00a0something has been removed from the quote. So how can we indicate that this is not the case?\u00a0If you think back to the bracket rules we just discussed, you may remember that [sic<\/em>]\u00a0can be used to show\u00a0that an error was in the original. In a similar practice, we can enclose the ellipsis in brackets to show it appeared in the original work:<\/p>\n

          \n
          Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die.\u00a0 This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd.\u00a0 Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids.\u00a0 I consider it morbid.\u00a0 Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.\u00a0 Health is the primary duty of life.\u00a0 I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice [. . .] as far as any improvement in his ailment goes.\u00a0 I should be much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury, from me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music for me.\u00a0 It is my last reception, and one wants something that will encourage conversation, particularly at the end of the season when every one has practically said whatever they had to say, which, in most cases, was probably not much.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
          \n\t\t\t

          Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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          CC licensed content, Original<\/div>