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 Ellipsis 

In printing and writing, an ellipsis (plural: ellipses) is a row of three dots (...) or asterisks (* * *) indicating an intentional omission.

An example is, "She went to ... school." In this sentence, "..." might represent the word "elementary", or the word "no". The use of ellipsis can either mislead or clarify, and the reader must rely on the good intentions of the writer who uses it. Omission without indication by ellipsis is always considered misleading.

Ellipsis can also used to indicate a pause in speech, or be used at the end of a sentence to indicate a trailing off into silence.

The Chicago Manual of Style suggests the use of ellipsis points for any omitted word, phrase, line, or paragraph from within a quoted passage. There are two commonly used methods of using ellipses: one uses three dots for any omission, the second makes a distinction between omissions within a sentence (using three dots) and omissions between sentences (using a period followed by three spaced dots).


An ellipsis is also a rhetorical figure of speech, the omission of a word or words required by strict grammatical rules but not by sense. The missing words are implied by the context.

Typical examples of this are:

Pat embraces Meredith, and Meredith, Pat, in which the second instance of the word embraces is implied rather than explict.

And so to bed, which appears on several occasions in the diary of Samuel Pepys, meaning and so I went to bed.

Is there for honest Poverty
That hings his head, an' a' that;
(the opening of a poem by Robert Burns. Burns is asking:
Is there an honest man among us who hangs his head, and otherwise cringes, because of his Poverty?

"Wikipedia is the greatest encyclopedia ever created" which can be interpreted as a short way to say:"Wikipedia is the greatest encyclopedia that has ever been created"

(This could also be explained without using ellipsis. "Created" is a past participle, which modifies the noun "encyclopedia" in the same manner as an adjective ie "Wikipedia is the greatest created encyclopedia ever.)


The aposiopesis is a form of ellipsis.

In computer programming, the ellipsis is Unicode character 0x2026, which is displayed as "…".

Too well.html">well, too well That dread theology alone Most native and my own; When I have made My soul with anguish and recoil As at my feet the abyss is cloven then, Of my potential cousinship with mire; My fearful powers retire, Reversing the shook banners of their song. Ah, for a heart less native to high Heaven, Or for a will accipitrine to pursue! Or those brave-fledging fervours of the Saint, Nor they in sickest time their ample virtue mew. ORIENT ODE. Lo, in the sanctuaried East, In all his robes pontifical exprest, From out its Orient tabernacle drawn, Which sprinkles benediction through the dawn.html">dawn; The earth with due illustrious rite Of twilight, violet-cassocked acolyte, Sets, for high close of the mysterious feast, Within the flaming monstrance of the West. Quae coeli pandis ostium! Divine assaulter, art thou come! Borne within thy radiant ark, Dances before thee from the dawn to dark. Behold her fair and greater daughter {1} Which at thy first white Ave shall conceive! Desirable allures confer; Beneath thy beautifying eyes! Such as, with sighs, misgives she is not fair, Till flatteries sweet provoke the charms they swear: Make the beauties they discover! From artful prompting of love.html">love's artless thought When thy plumes shiver against the conscious gates of morn! And so the love which is thy dower, Against the exigent boon protest, Has nothing in herself, not even love, Gives back to thee in sanctities of flower; That sweeter grows for being prest: From thine embrace still startles coy, .

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