Ellipsis Points for Omitted Words and Trailed-Off Remarks
Ellipsis Points
Rulebase Summary
Ellipsis points are three spaced periods (. . .) used to show an omission of words, phrases, or sentences in quoted matter. They are also used when a remark is intended to trail off without a conclusion. Do not include any internal punctuation on either side of the ellipsis unless needed for clarity. Most reference manuals recommend a space before and after the ellipsis points.
Examples
A. The statute reads, 'This section shall not apply to any person who has any ticket of a lottery which is authorized by any state.'
A. The statute reads, 'This section shall not apply to any person . . . any ticket . . . of a lottery which is authorized . . . by any state.'
Speaker omitted words from quoted statute — use ellipsis points.
Q. Did you help her?
A. If she would have come to me.
Q. Do you know if anyone else knew?
Q. Did you help her?
A. If she would have come to me . . .
Q. Do you know if anyone else knew?
Witness trailed off — use three spaced periods to show the unfinished thought.
Transcript Notes
When a speaker deliberately omits words and phrases from quoted material being placed on the record but keeps the idea intact, ellipsis points along with quotation marks show this. These omissions are most likely to occur when statutes, correspondence, or contracts are read for their pertinent parts only.
If words are omitted at the end of a sentence, use the three spaced periods AND include the final mark of punctuation for the sentence. If words are omitted between sentences, use the terminal mark for the first sentence, then the three spaced periods. If a fragment of a sentence is quoted within another sentence, no ellipsis marks are needed before or after the fragment, although some writers do use them.
For trailed-off remarks (where the speaker uses body language like a shrug to complete the idea), use three spaced periods to show the trail-off.
Style Guide References (7)
Morson's
Morson's
Morson's
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP