What is an ellipsis?

Answer 1

A punctuation mark. Example [...] In writing, an ellipsis is a series of three periods (dots) that indicate an omission. They look like this:

... or . . .

They are most often used with quoted material to show where something was left out. Here is an example. Suppose you were quoting this passage: "During the war, manufactured goods, fresh produce, and luxury items were difficult to obtain." But the subject you're writing about is manufacturing and distribution. You don't need the whole passage. So you can leave out part of it and put in an ellipsis (the three dots are also called ellipsis points) to show where the omission occurred. Then you would quote it like this:

"During the war, manufactured goods . . . were difficult to obtain."

For a short passage, you probably wouldn't do this, but for a longer passage it might be necessary. You do have to be careful not to distort the meaning, though. The other way they are used, mostly in fiction, is to indicate a trailing off of speech, an unfinished thought. Here is an example:

"I don't think we should go to the party," said Shirley. "We weren't invited. But if you really want to . . ."

Answer 2

An ellipsis is the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues. It can also refer to the punctuation (a set of three dots) that indicates an ellipsis has taken place.

Answer 3

An ellipsis is a punctuation mark consisting of three dots (...) used to indicate an omission of words in a text or to create a pause in writing. It is commonly used to show that there is more to come or to convey a sense of trailing off in thought.