If you use a three dot ellipsis (without parentheses or brackets) to remove words at the end of the sentence, it would theoretically look like this: The four dot ellipsis actually exists, believe it or not. So, what about the four dot ellipsis, then? The Four Dot Ellipsis Exists One could use brackets with spaces,, which arguably looks fine stylistically, but it isn’t a great choice due to unwanted line breaks. Since such cases are scarce, it’s certainly the path of least resistance. In rare cases when you’re quoting someone who has used the three dot ellipsis, use the three dots without brackets - or with a parenthesis. “Doctor Spin is a PR blog by Jerry Silfwer.” Personally, whenever I use the three dot ellipsis for omissions, I prefer brackets: Well, we have left regulatory terrain and entered the land of style. “Doctor Spin is a PR blog (…) by Jerry Silfwer.”īut what if the quoted text already contains these types of omissions? Again, some style guides then recommend keeping the author’s omissions with parenthesis, (…), and use brackets for your omissions.
![star wars intro in a galaxy far far away star wars intro in a galaxy far far away](https://ma-hub.imgix.net/wp-images/2019/05/28233124/star-wars-intro-text.jpg)
This is why many style guides recommend using a parenthesis for omissions: The edited version still makes it a bit unclear the only indication that the ellipsis wasn’t in the original text is the fact that it has a space before and after. “Doctor Spin is a PR blog … by Jerry Silfwer.” “Doctor Spin is a PR blog written and edited by Jerry Silfwer.”
![star wars intro in a galaxy far far away star wars intro in a galaxy far far away](https://www.electronicproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/robotics-ai-bizarre-star-wars-facts-0-e1332175854255-300x225.jpg)
Still, outside of literary uses, the three dot ellipsis is commonly used in formal texts to indicate editorial omissions. However, using spaces is more of a stylistic choice, but not a very practical one: This could result in unwanted line breaks when using today’s word processors 2. Some style guides suggest that these types of punctuation marks should be used with spaces in between them: It can also be used to signal that something, perhaps ominous, is about to happen:
![star wars intro in a galaxy far far away star wars intro in a galaxy far far away](https://www.theforceguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/star-wars-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away-art-print-acme-archives-feature-500442.jpg)
(Since the three dots have an affinity with the phrase, there shouldn’t be a space in between the last word and the three dot ellipsis.) It could be used to indicate an unfinished sentence or thought:
Star wars intro in a galaxy far far away how to#
The final paragraph of the opening crawl has only three dots! The four dots can’t all be typos, right? And if they aren’t - what about the three dots in Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi? The Classic Three Dot Ellipsisīefore we dive deeper into this mystery, let’s have a look at how to use the regular three dot ellipsis.