Ellipsis facts for kids

An ellipsis is a special punctuation mark. It looks like a row of three dots (...). These three dots are always together. You should never use two or four dots, even if you want to show a shorter or longer pause.

The word "ellipsis" comes from an old Greek word meaning "omission" or "falling short." This is a good hint about what it does! The three dots are not spaced like regular periods. They are a special symbol all on their own.

What an Ellipsis Does

Ellipses are super useful in writing. They can show different things depending on how they are used.

Showing a Pause or Unfinished Thought

Sometimes, an ellipsis shows that someone's thought isn't finished. It can also show a short pause or a moment of silence.

• "But I thought he was..." (This shows the speaker stopped talking.)
• "So much more could be said..." (This means there's more to say, but the writer is trailing off.)
• It can also show a mysterious voice or an awkward silence.

Cutting Out Words in Quotes

When you quote someone's words from a book or a newspaper, you might not need every single word. An ellipsis helps you shorten the quote. It shows that some words have been taken out.

• For example, if the original text was: "One day all Americans will live peacefully throughout the world. They will be at peace with all other world inhabitants."
• You could shorten it using an ellipsis: "...one day all Americans will live peacefully throughout the world...they will be at peace with all other world inhabitants..."
• The ellipses here show that words were removed from the beginning, middle, and end of the original sentence.

Other Names for Ellipsis

When people are talking, they sometimes call an ellipsis "dot-dot-dot." It's an easy way to refer to this punctuation mark!

See also

• Punctuation

Images for kids

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