- Use an ellipsis (plural - ellipses) to show that words are missing.
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Ellipses are made of three periods, with no spaces in between.
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Put a space before and after an ellipsis.
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An ellipsis can show a pause in dialog, or that the speaker has trailed off in the middle of a sentence.
"Oh ... and er ... interesting rhythmic devices too," continued Arthur, "which seemed to counterpoint the ... er ... er ..." He floundered.
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Do not use an ellipsis to show an interruption — use a dash (see 2.8.5.).
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