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AIBU?

I can't help it... The lack of understanding from people about how to use dot, dot, dot, is frustrating and annoying!

108 replies

wildhairrunning · 29/09/2011 14:02

Why oh why are there so few people out there who use the 'points of elipsis' rule correctly? When you use dot, dot, dot, (...) it is THREE and only three dots, not however many you feel like putting

Like this... Then begin a new sentence with a space
Or...like this (for use in a sentence

Please people, use your dots correctly, it's driving me mad!

Aibu?!

OP posts:

Report

ivykaty44 · 30/09/2011 14:35

go to the pedants section and moan....

aldiwhore · 30/09/2011 14:34

Cool, better than a facelift!!!!!! No.......?

valiumredhead · 30/09/2011 14:30

So what?!!!!

cecilyparsley · 30/09/2011 12:54

multiple exclamation marks make the writer seem under 12 years of age, I think...

midas · 30/09/2011 09:07

Very interesting, my son was taught in YR2. Bypassed me in school also bypassed his older brother in Y5 (same school). It is part of the punctuation requirements to achieve levels 4, 5 and 6 in writing.

GrimmaTheNome · 30/09/2011 08:37

In typesetting, the ellipsis can be a single entity rather than three separate dots - in computers, there's a single unicode character and html entity ? (that's ampersand hellip semicolon) which (to me, in the font I'm using anyway) looks more compact than three dots ...

Oakmaiden · 30/09/2011 07:29

Can someone please explain to me why only 3 dots are allowed? Explain to me the rule please.

Quidsi - an ellipsis is just three dots. It isn't a rule so much as a fact - in the same way a colon is one dot above another dot, the ellipsis is three dots one after the other.

However, depending upon placement within a sentence, there may be further punctuation immediately before or after it - so if the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence and followed by a period (full stop) then it will look like there are 4 dots. Or there could be 3 dots and an exclamation mark, or question mark, or comma....

Whatmeworry · 30/09/2011 06:29

Wot about us dashes then?

lifechanger · 30/09/2011 06:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lifechanger · 30/09/2011 06:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lifechanger · 30/09/2011 06:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LRDTheFeministDragon · 30/09/2011 01:36

What if I'm Pinter? Or if I know punctuation ain't grammar?

Have a ..................................................................................>

bunnyfoofoosrevenge · 30/09/2011 01:21

the! the sentence!

bunnyfoofoosrevenge · 30/09/2011 01:21

yabu

Three dots if the ellipsis occurs within a sentence.

Four dots if the ellipsis comes at the end of sentence.

cecilyparsley · 30/09/2011 01:11

the copious use of dots thing, conveys (I think) a general sense of dippy-ness, a slightly hesitant manner.
I dont much like it.

Possibly there's a correlation with rising inflexion?
or would that be a multiple question mark thing?
I bloody hate rising inflexion

mablemurple · 30/09/2011 00:10

OP were you around at the same time as Lavenderrr.....? Her posting style made copious use of dots....... maybe she used them all up......certainly more than her fair share..... not sure she was aware that it was three dots then that's it though.......

JennyPiccolo · 30/09/2011 00:05

Dots just make you look like a fucking plumb.

Quidsi · 29/09/2011 23:54

Oops sorry my DD has been taught my name has 2 haitches - don't know where the extra Haitch came from. Probably the fecking teacher.

Quidsi · 29/09/2011 23:53

manic that drivesd me mad. My name has 2 aitches in it yet my DD has been taught that my name has 3 haitches. I want to kill her teacher. Too harsh?

manic · 29/09/2011 23:43

never mind the dots.... What makes my blood boil is the phonetic use of the letter "h". As in it should be pronounced "aitch". We used to be really told off if we ever dare say "haitch" (still makes me shudder) yet most of the young primary teachers pronounce it incorrectly.

......that and having letters from school or notes from a teacher with incorrect spelling or grammar. Argh. What hope.

garlicslutty · 29/09/2011 23:35

Messsage deleted by ..................

Quidsi · 29/09/2011 23:35

Valium in which case may I .......................... ............. .................... ....................................... ............................................................................................................................. ah that feels better.
I need to know the reason behind the rule, or the rule, or at least the history behind the rule before I can decide if it is BU or not

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valiumredhead · 29/09/2011 23:32

.............................................................................

VelvetSnow · 29/09/2011 23:30

oh for fucks sake...

valiumredhead · 29/09/2011 23:30

Quidsi I can't remember and quite frankly don't care.............................................

I imagine it's to stop people like me getting carried away..................

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