Grammar Tip: Ellipsis Marks

Ellipsis Marks are the three little periods that can trip us up when we aren’t paying attention. However, using them (and fixing their errors) are super simple.

Grammar Tip: Ellipsis Marks

Image by ArtsyBee (2015) via Pixabay, CCO Public Domain

Basically, ellipsis marks indicate that a word (or words) is missing from the sentence or line, usually when skipping words in a direct quote.

For Example: “The awards committee decided the winners of the short story contest…and poetry contest.”

If the ellipsis marks come at the end of a sentence, make sure there is a fourth period or other ending punctuation. This allows the reader to realize that there are words missing and that the thought is finished.

For Example: “And, the winners are….” “And, the winners are…!” “Are the winners…?”

That’s it. Really. 🙂


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