Three dots . . . dot, dot, dot . . . an ellipsis

Have you ever wondered what to do when you want to express a pause or take out some words in a sentence because it's too long to mention in an email, or give the impression of longing or sadness or doubt in your writing? Well, I have just the thing for you to use. It's called an ellipsis or three dots. It's a form of punctuation that can be used to make your writing efficient or expressive depending how you use it. You will see an ellipsis in literature, comic strips, advertisements, articles, interviews, and emails ,to name a few sources, where the ellipsis gives the reader the impression of a pause in conversation or a shorter version of a sentence because the journalist who is writing the article has a word limit to adhere to.

So now that you have a better idea of what an ellipsis is, write four paragraphs about your favorite vacation and use an ellipsis in your writing. To help you out, the following are examples of when to use an ellipsis extracted from Writers Express written by Elsholz, C., Kemper, D., Nathan, R., & Sebranek, P. (2000).

When to use an ellipsis:
To show omitted words
Use an ellipsis to show that one or more words have been left out of a quotation.
Ex. Complete Quotation:
"All I know is that something long and shiny on my line jumped. It leaped out of the water so many times. It finally got away."
Shorten Quotation:
"All I know is that something long and shiny . . . finally got away."

 At the end of a sentence
If the words left out are at the end of a sentence, use a period followed by three dots.
Ex. "All I know is that something ling and shiny on my line jumped . . . It finally got away."

To show a pause
Use an ellipsis to indicate a pause in dialogue.
Ex. "That's . . . incredible!' I cried.

Grammar point: An ellipsis (. . .) is used to show omitted words or sentences and to indicate a pause in dialogue. When typing or writing an ellipsis, leave one space before, after, and between each period.


 
Vocabulary

After reading and understanding the new vocabulary words,write two sentences for each word. One sentence will show that you understand the meaning of the word and the other sentence will be about you using the new vocabulary word.

Wondered (verb) - to speculate curiously or be curious about; be curious to know

Express (verb) - to put (thought) into words; utter or state

Pause (noun) - a break or rest in speaking or reading to emphasize meaning, grammatical relation, metrical division, etc., or in writing or printing by the use of punctuation.

Impression (noun) - a strong effect produced on the intellect, feelings, conscience, etc.

Longing (noun) - strong, persistent desire or craving, especially for something unattainable or distant

Doubt (noun) - a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something.

To learn more about an ellipsis, click on the following link: Ellipsis