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Original poster

what does it mean when somone places 3 full stops after a word mid sentence

39 replies

Jenasaurus · 05/02/2019 20:04

I have a reason for asking. In the context I am thinking they were used it could mean that the person used the dots as a sign they didn't believe the person is actually unwell or has more to say.

EG. Hope you feel better Jane...

OP posts:

hendricksy · 05/02/2019 20:06

I use it as lazy punctuation . For example (how are you?... we are all good , catch soon .. )

Wolfcub · 05/02/2019 20:07

Jen in that context I would say your assumption is correct

SlimGin · 05/02/2019 20:07

Ah depends on the person. It could imply disbelief or sarcasm or a joke, but I also know people who write messages like this: 'Hi Jane... Hope you're feeling better... let me know when you're up for a visit ... x' and mean it completely genuinely.

ShowOfHands · 05/02/2019 20:10

I do it to mean a sort of trailing off/you fill in the blanks/there's something I'm not saying:

DH has lost his biscuits. Apparently they were in the kitchen... anyway, I have indigestion.

BiglyBadgers · 05/02/2019 20:11

Ellipsis formally is used to indicate when someone had shortened a text and cut a bit out the middle. Informally it's usually a pause or break between words or phrases.

However, it does often get used completely randomly by a lot of people in texts or social media. I wouldn't assume someone was implying disbelief unless you know their habits well. They might just be a compulsive ellipsis user and drop them in anywhere on a whim.

ScreamingValenta · 05/02/2019 20:12

It's an ellipsis. It's technically used where something is omitted from a quote and informally used to show a sentence trailing off.

TheWaiting · 05/02/2019 20:13

Well an ellipse signifies an omission so I would assume there was more to say but not actually being said.

longwayoff · 05/02/2019 20:13

This is an ellipsis. It indicates there are inferences to be made from what precedes it, the . . . assumes the reader can fill in the missing words.

Parthenope · 05/02/2019 20:13

In that context, it wouldn’t imply disbelief to me at all. It could just as easily be someone semi-literate thinking it was, like, cool extra full stops or something. Or as others have said, lazy punctuation.

TheWaiting · 05/02/2019 20:14

ellipsis

Hazeintheclouds · 05/02/2019 20:17

Disbelief implied.

Raspberry88 · 05/02/2019 20:22

I use it all the time...I'm really lazy. I wouldn't read anything into it at all, honestly!

onemorego2019 · 05/02/2019 20:30

I've had this previously when a text has failed to send properly. Only half sent?

brick15 · 05/02/2019 20:34

I use it informally for lazy pauses...unless you know the person really well don’t think too much about it

SpinneyHill · 05/02/2019 20:37

compulsive ellipsis user

Guilty...

cathay123 · 05/02/2019 20:37

I have a co-worker who always punctuates her texts with these. I'm not sure if its because she's not a native English speaker so maybe it comes from her first language or whether she puts them instead of a x because we are communicating about work issues. I always feel something is left unsaid but I don't think she means this.

Original poster

Jenasaurus · 05/02/2019 20:38

ok, well I didn't mean to drip feed but the person who this was asked about was under investigation for bullying and intimidation. They are temping and on Friday they were unable to complete their timesheet. They stated the agency said their contract had ended. Then later when I asked if they were OK, they said it was an error and they were sending it shortly. Now they have called in sick this week and then seeing the email from the manager, somehow the dots looked incriminating, like "I know your not off sick and at an interview as its your last week but I will pretend as the others are reading this email" or am I looking into things too much. The individual has been in a lot of trouble at work with intimidation, bullying and inappropriate behaviour but if they were ending their contract surely they would just say - Janes contract is ending next week so she is having time out for interviews, the relief for lot of us who have been on the receiving end of her vicious tongue would be immense. Maybe I am just being hopeful and she really is unwell.

OP posts:

InfiniteCurve · 05/02/2019 20:39

Yes,informal pauses for me...I just like the way it makes the sentence sound in my head .
Possibly I should be using semicolons though...But that feels more detonate and that isn't always what I'm going for.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 05/02/2019 20:43

Did they use an ellipsis anywhere else?

My friend uses them a lot, but consistently, as punctuation, 2-3 times a message.
But if she only uses it at the end, she is definitely using it to imply disbelief.

So I would conclude it was being used to imply disbelief here.

mummyhaschangedhername · 05/02/2019 20:45

Yeah I use it frequently for no reason other than it separates what I'm saying. I am worried now people have read info my lazy writing style. I tend to use a lot of explanation points too 🙈🙈🙈🙈

Original poster

Jenasaurus · 05/02/2019 20:47

Funnily enough I have had to double check my posts on this thread as I was putting the odd ellipsis in here and there myself :)

I have an inkling about something going on so maybe I am looking for something that's not really there.

OP posts:

longwayoff · 05/02/2019 20:53

There's some worryingly misunderstood English on this thread.

Original poster

Jenasaurus · 05/02/2019 20:56

probably all my posts longwayoff I tend to make errors when I type in the dark :)

OP posts:

Knitwit101 · 05/02/2019 20:59

I sent a message to my dad tonight saying “ds got measured up tonight...”

Ds has been trying out for a club for ages and tonight they measured him so I assume they're considering getting him a uniform which means they are considering putting him in the team. But I don’t know that for sure, I’m just thinking it might be, so I’m not writing it in a text to my dad, just sort of leaving it to him to fill in the blanks.

But I have no idea if that’s how you are supposed to use dots or not, and I had no idea it had a name. Every day is a school day.

caughtinanet · 05/02/2019 21:03

You'd need to ask the person who wrote it, I don't think there's an agreed meaning as you can see from this thread.

I might use it as a kind of pause in the sentence but not saying that's right or what someone else would do

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