ellipses

A student uses ellipses to show a pause in a sentence.

Definition

1. Noun (plural of ):
   • Linguistic omission: "ellipses" refers to the plural form of "ellipsis," which is the omission of one or more words from a sentence that are understood from context, often indicated by three dots (...).
   • Punctuation mark: In writing, "ellipses" (plural) can also refer to the three dots (...) used to show an omission, a pause, or an unfinished thought.

Usage Examples

• Linguistic omission:

  • The sentence "John went to the store, and Mary to the park" uses ellipses. (The verb "went" is omitted in the second clause, but understood.)
  • Editors often use ellipses to shorten long quotes. (They remove unnecessary words and mark the omission with three dots.)

• Punctuation mark:

  • She wrote "... and then the phone rang." (The ellipses indicate a pause or an incomplete thought.)
  • The text had several ellipses, suggesting hesitation. (The three dots were used repeatedly to show uncertainty.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ellipses in mathematics": In geometry, "ellipses" is not a word; the correct term is "ellipse" (a curved shape). However, "ellipses" is sometimes mistakenly used for the plural of "ellipse." Properly, the plural of "ellipse" is "ellipses" (same spelling), but this is a different word. For clarity:

  • The orbits of planets are ellipses. (Here, "ellipses" means oval shapes, not omitted words.)

• "Ellipses in grammar": In formal linguistics, ellipses are a common feature of everyday speech and writing, where words are left out to avoid redundancy.

  • "I can swim, and she can too" contains an ellipsis of "swim." (The verb is omitted after "can.")

Variants and Related Words

• Ellipsis (n, singular): the omission of words from a sentence.
  • The writer used an ellipsis to create suspense. (One instance of omitted words.)
• Elliptical (adj): relating to or involving ellipsis; also, shaped like an ellipse.
  • The sentence is elliptical, missing the subject. (Grammatically incomplete due to omission.)
  • The planet has an elliptical orbit. (Oval-shaped, not related to omission.)

Synonyms

• Omission: the act of leaving something out.
  • The omission of the word "not" changed the meaning. (Similar to ellipsis in grammar.)
• Pause: a temporary stop, often indicated by ellipses.
  • He spoke with a pause, shown by ellipses. (A break in speech.)

Related Idioms

• "Dot, dot, dot": informal term for ellipses.
  • She ended her message with "dot, dot, dot" to show uncertainty. (Using ellipses in writing.)

Phrasal Verbs

• "Trail off": to gradually become silent, often indicated by ellipses.
  • His voice trailed off... (The ellipses show the speech fading away.)

Notes on Usage

• Spelling: "Ellipses" is the plural of "ellipsis" (linguistic omission) and also the plural of "ellipse" (geometric shape). Context determines the meaning.
• Punctuation rules: In formal writing, ellipses are typically written as three spaced dots ( . . . ) or three unspaced dots (...). Style guides vary.
• Common mistake: Some learners confuse "ellipses" with "ellipse" (the shape). Remember: "ellipses" with an 's' is the plural of "ellipsis" (omission), while "ellipse" (singular) is an oval.