Re: Ellipsis Points

["Harriet Hodges" kapok@xxxxxxxx]

Commas are always omitted before ellipses.

Harriet Hodges

----- Original Message -----
From: "George Scithers" 
To: 
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 8:45 PM
Subject: Re: Ellipsis Points


> I speak as an editor of 40 years experience, as a publisher, as a
> typesetter, and as a literary agent. See interpolated comments
> below.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "J R FOX" 
> To: 
> Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 8:07 PM
> Subject: OT: Ellipsis Points
>
>
> > This is OT, but I have a query that I believe several
> > of you are well-qualified to respond to.
> >
> > To start off, my own question is whether there exists
> > some internationally recognized symbol to indicate
> > this, other than ellipsis ? I thought I might have
> > seen something like that in the past, but I don't
> > recall for sure. It would *not* have been a standard
> > punctuation mark, though, more like a symbol -- if I'm
> > remembering something that actually exists.
>
> The ellipsis . . . three dots, with spaces between, is indeed the
> standard symbol. If the writer wants to, the writer can add an
> asterisked footnote at the first appearance of an ellipsis,
> saying: "* omissions, maarked so, are all by the editor."
>
> > My friend handed me these additional questions:
> >
> > 1. What size margins ? 1" all around ? Horiz. line
> > spacing, especially between paragraphs ? (Some early
> > test sections overly packed the page, and with too
> > small a font, I think.)
>
> One inch top, left side, and bottom. Right margin ragged -- that
> is, do N*O*T right-justify the test, of at least one inch. Do
> N*O*T put extra space between paragraphs unless you are making a
> cange of subject of less importance than that which would call
> for a new paragraph, but more important than routine paragraph
> breaks. Ident the first lien of every paragraph five spaces. Use
> a 12-point, monospaced font, spaced every 24 points. This is the
> equilavent of double-line spaced pica type on a typewriter. Do
> N*O*T reduce line spacing to indicated quoted material!
>
> > 2. Size of Top & Bottom space ? (There are no
> > footnotes.)
>
> about an inch.
>
> > 3. How do you indicate when words or sentences were
> > removed from the text to shorten it. (I think I've
> > already covered that, above.)
>
> As above. Do N*O*T use the special three-dots character present
> in some word processers.
>
> > [Assuming the use of Ellipsis:]
> >
> > 4. I read that there should be 3 periods and 3
> > spaces. If the deleted words are after a full
> > sentence, is the first period right after the last
> > letter ? Are there still only 3 periods including
> > that one ?
>
> No. An ellipsis is three dots, with spaces between and before
> and after. An ellipsis might follow a complete sentence, in which
> case the three dots are IN ADDITION to the terminal punctuation
> that ends the sentence. One exception: if an ellipsis is folowed
> be a closing quotation mark, ther is no space between the third
> dot and the close-quotes
>
> Like this:
>
> "He started to . . ."
>
> "He started to stand up, . . ."
>
> "He started to stand up, hesitated, and sat down again."
>
> > 5. If the next part of the text is not a new
> > sentence, is there a space before it ? Is this true
> > also even if the next part begins a new sentence ?
>
> Like this:
>
> "He started to stand up, . . . and sat down again."
>
> "He started to stand up, . . . Then he leaned back in his chair."
>
> > I think that should do for now. However, this also
> > left me wondering -- whatever formatting procedure is
> > used -- whether it would become tiresome or grating
> > after awhile ?
>
> No. Using "John said -- Bill said" isn't grating either. When
> reading well written dialog, one quickly becmes more interested
> in what is being said, and one isn't the lest bit bothered by the
> repetitive "said." One would be far more distracted if one or the
> other occasionally "ejaculated" or hissed a sentence containing
> no sibilants. Similarly, having established that there are lots
> of omissions, and that they are marked by ellipses, then stick to
> that convention and get on with the exposition.
>
> > Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some good
> > light on this subject.
> >
> > Jordan
> >
> George H Scithers
> Illuminator to the trade
>
>
>
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>


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