Editing Ellipsis (section)

==In different languages==
===In English===
<!-- Ellipsis in English redirects here -->

====American English====
''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'' suggests the use of an ellipsis for any omitted word, phrase, line, or paragraph from within but not at the end of a quoted passage. There are two commonly used methods of using ellipses: one uses three dots for any omission, while the second one makes a distinction between omissions within a sentence (using three dots:&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.) and omissions between sentences (using a period and a space followed by three dots:&nbsp;.&nbsp;...). The ''Chicago Style'' [[wikt:Q and A|Q&A]] recommends that writers avoid using the precomposed {{char|…}}&nbsp;(U+2026) character in manuscripts and to place three periods plus two nonbreaking spaces (.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.) instead, leaving the editor, publisher, or typographer to replace them later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/SpecialCharacters/SpecialCharacters09.html |title=Chicago Style Q&A: How do I insert an ellipsis in my manuscript? |year=2010 |work=[[The Chicago Manual of Style]], edition 16 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |access-date=2011-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010042223/http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/SpecialCharacters/SpecialCharacters09.html |archive-date=2010-10-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Modern Language Association]] (MLA) used to indicate that an ellipsis must include spaces before and after each dot in all uses. If an ellipsis is meant to represent an omission, [[square bracket]]s must surround the ellipsis to make it clear that there was no pause in the original quote: {{char|[&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;]}}. Currently, the MLA has removed the requirement of brackets in its style handbooks. However, some maintain that the use of brackets is still correct because it clears confusion.<ref>Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, Murray McArthur. ''The Little, Brown Handbook''. Fourth Canadian Edition. [[Toronto]]: [[Longman|Pearson Longman]]. 2005. p. 440.</ref>

The MLA now indicates that a three-dot, spaced ellipsis {{char|&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;}} should be used for removing material from within one sentence within a quote. When crossing sentences (when the omitted text contains a period, so that omitting the end of a sentence counts), a four-dot, spaced (except for before the first dot) ellipsis {{char|.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;}} should be used. When ellipsis points are used in the original text, ellipsis points that are not in the original text should be distinguished by enclosing them in square brackets (e.g. {{char|text [...] text}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uhv.edu/student-success-center/resources/e-p/ellipsis-use-in-mla-style/|last=Jones|first=Karalyn|title=Using Ellipsis in MLA Style|institution=[[University of Houston–Victoria]]|year=2009|access-date=2018-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140911/https://www.uhv.edu/student-success-center/resources/e-p/ellipsis-use-in-mla-style/|archive-date=2018-06-12|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://naropa.edu/documents/programs/jks/naropa-writing-center/citation-comparison.pdf |title=Home Page |access-date=2016-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804045039/http://naropa.edu/documents/programs/jks/naropa-writing-center/citation-comparison.pdf |archive-date=2016-08-04 |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the Associated Press, the ellipsis should be used to condense quotations. It is less commonly used to indicate a pause in speech or an unfinished thought or to separate items in material such as show business gossip. The stylebook indicates that if the shortened sentence before the mark can stand as a sentence, it should do so, with an ellipsis placed after the period or other ending punctuation. When material is omitted at the end of a paragraph and also immediately following it, an ellipsis goes both at the end of that paragraph and at the beginning of the next, according to this style.<ref>Goldstein, Norm, editor. "Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law". 2005. pp.328–329.</ref>

According to Robert Bringhurst's ''[[Elements of Typographic Style]]'', the details of typesetting ellipses depend on the character and size of the font being set and the typographer's preference. Bringhurst writes that a full space between each dot is "another Victorian eccentricity. In most contexts, the Chicago ellipsis is much too wide"—he recommends using flush dots (with a normal word space before and after), or [[thin space|''thin''-spaced]] dots (up to one-fifth of an [[em (typography)|em]]), or the prefabricated ellipsis character {{unichar|2026|HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS|html=}}. Bringhurst suggests that normally an ellipsis should be spaced fore-and-aft to separate it from the text, but when it combines with other punctuation, the leading space disappears and the other punctuation follows. This is the usual practice in typesetting. He provides the following examples:

:{{gaps|{{samp|i&nbsp;... j}}|{{samp|k....}}|{{samp|l..., l}}|{{samp|l,&nbsp;... l}}|{{samp|m...?}}|{{samp|n...!}} |gap=3em}}

In legal writing in the United States, Rule 5.3 in the ''[[Bluebook]]'' citation guide governs the use of ellipses and requires a space before the first dot and between the two subsequent dots. If an ellipsis ends the sentence, then there are three dots, each separated by a space, followed by the final punctuation (e.g. {{char|Hah . . . ?}}). In some legal writing, an ellipsis is written as three [[asterisk]]s, {{char|***}} or {{char|*&nbsp;*&nbsp;*}}, to make it obvious that text has been omitted or to signal that the omitted text extends beyond the end of the paragraph.

====British English====
''The [[Hart's Rules|Oxford Style Guide]]'' recommends setting the ellipsis as a single character {{char|…}} or as a series of three (narrow) spaced dots surrounded by spaces, thus: {{char|{{nbsp}}.{{thinsp}}.{{thinsp}}.{{nbsp}}}}. If there is an ellipsis at the end of an incomplete sentence, the final full stop is omitted. However, it is retained if the following ellipsis represents an omission between two complete sentences.<ref>''New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.</ref>

<blockquote><poem>The ... fox jumps ...
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. ... And if they have not died, they are still alive today.
It is not cold ... it is freezing cold.</poem></blockquote>

Contrary to ''The Oxford Style Guide'', the ''University of Oxford Style Guide'' demands an ellipsis not to be surrounded by spaces, except when it stands for a pause; then, a space has to be set after the ellipsis (but not before), and it states that an ellipsis should never be preceded or followed by a full stop.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide%20%28updated%20Hilary%20term%202016%29.pdf | title = University of Oxford Style Guide: Hilary term 2016 | location = Oxford |publisher = University of Oxford | date= 2016 | page=15 |access-date= 18 May 2017}}</ref>

<blockquote><poem>The...fox jumps...
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog...And if they have not died, they are still alive today.
It is not cold... it is freezing cold.</poem></blockquote>

===In Polish===
When applied in [[Polish language|Polish]] syntax, the ellipsis is called {{lang|pl|wielokropek}}, literally "multidot". The word ''wielokropek'' distinguishes the ellipsis of Polish syntax from that of [[mathematical notation]], in which it is known as an {{lang|pl|elipsa}}. When an ellipsis replaces a fragment omitted from a quotation, the ellipsis is enclosed in parentheses or square brackets. An unbracketed ellipsis indicates an interruption or pause in speech. The syntactic rules for ellipses are standardized by the 1983 Polska Norma document [[PN-83/P-55366]], {{lang|pl|Zasady składania tekstów w języku polskim}} (Rules for Setting Texts in Polish).

===In Russian===
The combination "ellipsis+period" is replaced by the ellipsis. The combinations "ellipsis+exclamation mark" and "ellipsis+question mark" are written in this way: !.. ?..

===In Japanese===
The most common character corresponding to an ellipsis is called ''3''-ten rīdā ("''3''-dot leaders", {{lang|ja|…}}). 2-ten rīdā exists as a character, but it is used less commonly. In writing, the ellipsis consists usually of six dots (two ''3''-ten rīdā characters, {{lang|ja|……}}). Three dots (one ''3''-ten rīdā character) may be used where space is limited, such as in a header. However, variations in the number of dots exist. In horizontally written text the dots are commonly vertically centered within the text height (between the [[Baseline (typography)|baseline]] and the ascent line), as in the standard Japanese [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] fonts; in vertically written text the dots are always centered horizontally. As the Japanese word for dot is pronounced "{{lang|ja-Latn|ten}}", the dots are colloquially called "{{lang|ja-Latn|ten-ten-ten}}" ({{lang|ja|てんてんてん}}, akin to the English "dot dot dot").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20170605/geo17060514190023-n1.html |title=秋元順子、古希に得意のダジャレ 「あまり"コキ"使わないでください」 |trans-title=Junko Akimoto used puns she was good at on Koki: "Please don't push me around too much." |date=5 June 2017 |website=SANSPO.COM |publisher=SANKEI DIGITAL Inc. |access-date=10 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309024932/https://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20170605/geo17060514190023-n1.html |archive-date=9 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=2021-01-15 |title=語尾が「…」ばかり「三点リーダー症候群」 相手のせいにするズルさも |trans-title=The ending is just "..." "Three-point leader syndrome" |url=https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20210115_1627800.html?DETAIL |work=NEWSポストセブン |location= |access-date=2022-03-27}}</ref>

In text in Japanese media, such as in [[manga]] or video games, ellipses are much more frequent than in English, and are often changed to another punctuation sign in translation. The ellipsis by itself represents speechlessness, or a "[[pregnant pause]]". Depending on the context, this could be anything from an admission of guilt to an expression of being dumbfounded at another person's words or actions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mandelin |first1=Clyde |title=Legends of Localization: How Japanese Ellipsis Usage Compares with English |url=https://legendsoflocalization.com/qa-japanese-ellipsis-usage-and-english-translation/ |website=Legends of Localization |access-date=14 December 2018 |language=en |date=8 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214164227/https://legendsoflocalization.com/qa-japanese-ellipsis-usage-and-english-translation/ |archive-date=14 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> As a device, the ''ten-ten-ten'' is intended to focus the reader on a character while allowing the character to not speak any dialogue. This conveys to the reader a focus of the narrative "camera" on the silent subject, implying an expectation of some motion or action. It is not unheard of to see inanimate objects "speaking" the ellipsis.

===In Chinese===
In [[Chinese written language|Chinese]], the ellipsis is six dots (in two groups of three dots, occupying the same horizontal or vertical space as two characters). In horizontally written text the dots are commonly vertically centered along the midline (halfway between the Roman descent and Roman ascent, or equivalently halfway between the Roman [[Baseline (typography)|baseline]] and the capital height, i.e. {{lang|zh|⋯⋯}}). This is generally true of [[Traditional Chinese]], while [[Simplified Chinese]] tends to have the ellipses aligned with the baseline;<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2019-07-21 |title=Designing with the Hanzi script – Keith Tam |url=https://keithtam.net/designing-with-the-hanzi-script/ |access-date=2024-07-22 |language=en-GB}}</ref> in vertically written text the dots are always centered horizontally (i.e. {{lang-zh|{{Vertical text|︙︙}}}}).<ref>{{Citation |title=省略号 |date=2024-07-14 |work=维基百科，自由的百科全书 |url=https://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%9C%81%E7%95%A5%E5%8F%B7&oldid=83402231 |access-date=2024-07-22 |language=zh}}</ref> Also note that Taiwan and China have different punctuation standards.<ref name=":0" />

===In Spanish===
In [[Spanish language|Spanish]], the ellipsis is commonly used as a substitute of ''[[et cetera]]'' at the end of unfinished lists. So it means "and so forth" or "and other things".

Other use is the suspension of a part of a text, or a paragraph, or a phrase or a part of a word because it is obvious, or unnecessary, or implied. For instance, sometimes the ellipsis is used to avoid the complete use of expletives.

When the ellipsis is placed alone into a [[Bracket|parenthesis]] (...) or—less often—between [[bracket]]s [...], which is what happens usually within a text [[Transcription (linguistics)|transcription]], it means the original text had more contents on the same position but are not useful to our target in the transcription. When the suppressed text is at the beginning or at the end of a text, the ellipsis does not need to be placed in a parenthesis.

The number of dots is three and only three.<ref name="RAE">{{cite web |title=Puntos suspensivos |url=https://www.rae.es/buen-uso-espa%C3%B1ol/los-puntos-suspensivos-i-usos-principales|website=[[Real Academia Espanola]]|access-date=2024-10-03}}</ref> They should have no space in between them nor with the preceding word, but there should be an space with the following word (except if they are followed by a punctuation sign, such as a comma).<ref name="RAE"/>

===In French===
In [[French language|French]], the ellipsis is commonly used at the end of lists to represent {{lang|la|et cetera}}. In French typography, the ellipsis is written immediately after the preceding word, but has a space after it, for example: {{lang|fr|comme ça... pas comme ceci}}. If, exceptionally, it begins a sentence, there is a space before and after, for example: {{lang|fr|Lui&thinsp;? ... vaut rien, je crois...}}. However, any omitted word, phrase or line at the end of a quoted passage would be indicated as follows: [...] (space before and after the square brackets but not inside), for example: {{lang|fr|... à Paris, Nice, Nantes, Toulouse [...]}}.

===In German===
In [[German language|German]], the ellipsis in general is surrounded by spaces, if it stands for one or more omitted words. On the other side there is no space between a letter or (part of) a word and an ellipsis, if it stands for one or more omitted letters, that should stick to the written letter or letters.

Example for both cases, using German style: ''The first el...is stands for omitted letters, the second ... for an omitted word.''

If the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, the final full stop is omitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_regeln_inkl_Nachtraegen.pdf |title=Deutsche Rechtschreibung. Regeln und Wörterverzeichnis |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2010 |publisher=Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung |access-date=2015-10-18 |quote=$ 100: Stehen die Auslassungspunkte am Ende eines Ganzsatzes, so setzt man keinen Satzschlusspunkt. |page=100 |language=German |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426151612/http://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_regeln_inkl_Nachtraegen.pdf |archive-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Example: ''I think that ...''

=== In Italian ===
The {{lang|it|Accademia della Crusca}} suggests the use of an ellipsis ({{lang|it|"puntini di sospensione"}}) to indicate a pause longer than a period and, when placed between brackets, the omission of letters, words or phrases.<ref>{{Cite web|title=La punteggiatura|url=https://accademiadellacrusca.it/it/consulenza/la-punteggiatura/143|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=[[Accademia della Crusca]]}}</ref> {{Blockquote|{{lang|it|"Tra le cose più preziose possedute da Andrea Sperelli era una coperta di seta fina, d'un colore azzurro disfatto, intorno a cui giravano i dodici segni dello Zodiaco in ricamo, con le denominazioni […] a caratteri gotici."}} (Gabriele D'Annunzio, ''Il piacere'')<ref>{{Cite web|title=Puntini di sospensione|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/puntini-di-sospensione_%28La-grammatica-italiana%29/|access-date=1 September 2021|website=[[Treccani]]}}</ref>}}