How much meaning do simple punctuation marks convey? Without exclamation and question marks, the text will become impoverished and crumble into empty phrases. And periods and commas are natural barriers, without which it is impossible to come up with a single sentence.
There is one more sign that deserves attention - ellipsis. What does it mean and where does it apply? How not to overdo it with dots, is it appropriate to insert them for more emotional text? Find out in this article.
What is an ellipsis?
An ellipsis is a punctuation mark in a text. Depending on the language, it consists of three dots (Russian, English) or six (Chinese). Also, the ellipsis can be horizontal or vertical.
Interestingly, dots are used not only in writing, but also in mathematics, for example, when compiling number series: 1,2, 3, 4…100.
In this case, the ellipsis means that numbers are skipped that can be deduced in a logical way. There are too many to list them all, so a few dots are put in for replacements.
Sign history
It is impossible to name the exact date of the appearance of the ellipsis, which means its undoubted antiquity.
One of the first uses of this punctuation mark can be considered ancient Greek treatises. In them, the ellipsis replaced the semantic part of the sentence, which was already clear to everyone. For example, "Do not mind your own business, otherwise you will suffer!" could be written as "Don't climb, otherwise …"
In Greece and Rome, ellipsis in sentences signified incomplete thought. The sign was also used in records in Latin.
Quintilianus, one of the ancient thinkers, urged his compatriots not to abuse the ellipsis, because because of them, sentences merged into one large piece of text, incomprehensible to anyone. This cry caused a lot of controversy: how to understand where it is "appropriate" to use a sign, and where it is not needed? How to use the ellipsis correctly and what does its overabundance mean?
The use of dots in Russian literature began in the eighteenth century with the light hand of Karamzin. He introduced the sign as an artistic device to enrich the text. In prose, ellipsis denoted emotionality and incompleteness of thought.
After a while, this sign passed into ordinary life, the letters were full of dots, which means: the sign took root and "went intopeople".
Ellipsis in literature
Ellipsis is much more common in fiction than in non-fiction. The fact is that the dots at the end of the sentence mean the incompleteness and incompleteness of the thought, which the authors of scientific articles cannot afford. In addition, the ellipsis in the literature can:
- Talking about the character's depression. If the hero’s monologue contains an abundance of dots, then most likely he is saddened by something and speech is difficult for him.
- Also, dots indicate thoughtfulness. Imagine: the hero is mumbling something, his speech is interrupted and incomprehensible. To accurately convey the feeling of such behavior, the author can write his speech in continuous text, separating words with ellipsis.
- Dots can be used to convey understatement, to keep a secret, as in Greek manuscripts. This sign is able to hide behind itself what is already clear to everyone.
- Dots are a sign of an open ending. If they are at the very end of the book, then the author allows the reader to come up with their own ending based on the information already learned.
- In the speech of the characters, ellipsis can also become a sign of shortness of breath, difficulty speaking, difficulty pronunciation.
And that's not all. Since the eighteenth century, dots have firmly entered Russian literature and have acquired many meanings. It is usually not necessary to explain the meaning of this punctuation mark. It becomes clear to the reader from the context what the ellipsis at the end means.offers.
Terms of Use
There are some rules for using this sign:
- When writing an ellipsis, it is separated from subsequent letters by a space. At the same time, it adjoins the closing word: she was … very beautiful.
- If the ellipsis is supposed to coexist with a comma, then it will "eat" it: I loved her … but she was angry with me.
- If you want to write both an ellipsis and a question (exclamation) mark, then they are combined: really?.. Incredible!..
- Interesting spelling of question-exclamation marks with ellipsis: How dare you?!.
- Direct speech, where there is a dash after the sign, is not separated by a space if there is an ellipsis: - Did you know?..- she asked.
- These direct punctuation marks remain in quotes: She said, "I'm not sure…"
- When using an ellipsis at the beginning of a sentence, it is not separated by a space: …he came late in the autumn evening.
- In numerical series, dots do not share spaces: 1, 2, 3…7.
- When quoting an incomplete expression, the missing part is replaced by ellipsis: at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the quotation, depending on where the text was cut from.
- If a significant part of the quote was cut out, then the ellipsis is framed by an angle bracket on both sides.
- If a quote ends with an ellipsis, then an additional period is placed after the brackets:
M. V. Lomonosov wrote that “the beauty, magnificence, strength and richness of the Russian language is quite clear from books, in the pastwritten centuries…”.
What does the ellipsis mean in the correspondence
Dots have moved not only into literature, but also into everyday correspondence. If your interlocutor sends you an SMS with a bunch of extra dots, then they want to tell you something.
So, what does the excess of dots in correspondence indicate:
- Your interlocutor is dissatisfied with you, your words or behavior. Perhaps they want to shame you with the help of dots.
- Excess dots may mean that it is difficult for the interlocutor to collect his thoughts, the topic of correspondence touched him.
- Your interlocutor wants his letter to be more mysterious and lengthy.
- An ellipsis sent separately can be a sign of confusion or unpleasant surprise.
- Another separate ellipsis can be deciphered as "are you serious?" or "I won't even comment on it".
- An ellipsis at the end of a message can be a sign of sadness. Pay attention to the overall tone of the letter.
When to bet and when not?
You should intuitively know when an ellipsis is appropriate and when not. In the same case, if you are not sure whether to use this sign, it is better to refrain from it.
Remember, punctuation marks are like spices in a dish. No one likes too many seasonings, everything should be in moderation!
